A Wizard in Iwatodai
by Takeshi Yamato
Summary: Persona Users are not the only people who can fight Shadows. A young woman comes to Iwatodai for entirely separate reasons, and ends up joining SEES as they seek to put an end to the Dark Hour. Once again, with Rings in hand, the Wizard shall be a light of hope for the world… Rated T for now, will eventually change to M.
1. Prologue: The Night of the Wizard

Disclaimer: Neither Takeshi Yamato nor Xamusel own Kamen Rider Wizard or Persona 3. We only own the idea from the plot, and some of the OCs.

**Takeshi Yamato: Hello, everyone!**

**About a month or so ago, I started getting into the Kamen Rider Franchise - specifically the two most recent entries, Wizard and Gaim. I haven't seen much of either show, but what I have seen on YouTube and read from the Wiki has made me want to try writing fanfic about it. Going to start with crossovers, blending it in with stuff I know better until such time as I can write a good KR Fanfic standalone.**

**Also, I do have a co-writer: Xamusel is also intrigued by the concept, and has agreed to help.**

**Now, let's get this party started! :D**

* * *

**A Wizard in Iwatodai**

Story by Takeshi Yamato, written by Takeshi Yamato and Xamusel

* * *

**Prologue: The Night of the Wizard**

* * *

_**Iwatodai, Outskirts - 11:59 PM, April 6, 2009**_

* * *

The sound of an engine running accompanied a motorcycle and its rider driving into the outskirts of Iwatodai. It was clearly based on a Honda CRF250R off-road bike, but was customized a fair bit, with a white and gold-trimmed paint job and what looked like a glowing red crystal just below the forward windscreen.

The rider on the motorcycle was a young woman, though one could easily mistake her for someone older than 16, given the massive size of her bust compared to her height. Her hair was currently in her auburn red helmet, while her eyes were hidden behind the visor of her helmet, which was a sleek black in contrast. Her outfit was a red and black jumpsuit, with red gloves and black boots, completed by a backpack that essentially held… well, that would be telling, at this point.

As she made her way into town, and towards the hotel she had booked for the first few days while she looked for a more permanent place of residence, the world around her seemed to take on a greenish tinge, as any people who were out as late as she was turned into coffins, all artificial lights shut off, and any puddles of water on the ground seemed to turn into blood.

"Geez," the woman muttered to herself. "After everything I've been through involving the Phantoms and both Sabbaths, something like this isn't all that creepy, but it's still really weird…" she then looked down at her bike, which was still running. "At least Machine Winger is still running, unlike most things that run on electricity… then again, Machine Winger doesn't really run on electricity."

It was while she was riding out in the town that she noticed a young man walking as if nothing wrong had occurred. Figuring that she could get an idea if this was something normal in the world that she managed to miss out on, she decided to pull over and see for herself, mainly by talking to the guy and finding out what he knew. If he needed a ride, she'd provide it, as long as it was on the way to her hotel.

* * *

Minato Arisato was calmly walking down the road, making his way to the Iwatodai Dorms. The environment around him was nothing new, given that he'd been experiencing it for the past 10 years. He supposed that practically the entire world experienced this phenomenon, though most people didn't know about it because they were stuck inside those coffins-

"Hey!"

Minato turned around to face a woman that seemed to be in her twenties, if her bust was any indication… he shook his head to focus on the person's face, which was now unmasked to reveal her ice blue hair and violet eyes. Oddly enough, she had a faint bit of baby fat on her face, which meant she was probably younger than 21. "Yes, ma'am? How may I help you?" he asked, unsure of what to do in this situation.

"Don't 'ma'am', me," she remarked. "I'm only 16 years old!" She chuckled a bit. "Anyway, just wondering if you knew anything about this," she said, her arms gesturing to indicate the environment around them. "I've encountered it once or twice when needing to work late, but don't really know that much about it."

"Wait… you're 16? I thought you were older than me by at least five years, _not_ my age!" Minato declared in shock. Shaking his head again after a few seconds, he said, "Anyway, I don't really know all that much about it, either, despite living in it for the past 10 years."

She looked a bit shocked, but nodded after a moment. "I see," she remarked. "Well, do you need a lift anywhere? As long as it's on the way to my hotel, I can ferry you where you need to go on my bike." It was then that Minato noticed the bike, which looked to be a customized Honda CRF250R off-road bike, and unlike most electrically-powered devices in this phenomenon, it was still running.

Minato put on his stoic poker face mask and handed the woman the directions to the Iwatodai Dorms, before saying, "Minato Arisato. You?"

"Nayuki Kinomoto," she replied as she took a look at the directions. "Well, looks like it is on my way to the hotel." She gestured behind her, where there was extra room on the seat. "Hop on… and no groping, please."

Minato nodded, before his mind fully registered what she said, making him realize something. '_They're real!_' With that, he got onto the motorcycle behind her, putting on the spare helmet before he wrapped his arms around her waist, thankfully remembering the warning about not to grope her.

* * *

As Nayuki drove Minato to the dorm he'd given her directions to, doing her best to maintain a speed he'd consider comfortable, she mainly focused on the road, and not her passenger pressed up against her - not that difficult, honestly, considering she didn't swing that way.

As they drove, though, she did occasionally look in another direction as she sensed things off on other paths - things that felt… well, not _exactly_ like Phantoms or Ghouls, but they were still somewhat similar.

'_Great,_' she thought sarcastically. '_So much for a peaceful school year. I'm going to have to patrol at night to make sure these things don't cause any damage, if they are like Phantoms._'

It took her a few minutes before she made it to the dorm in question, only… it had its lights on? "Is this… normal?" she asked Minato, only to see him shake his head. "Great… a load of fun awaits you," she said sarcastically. "Well, I'll go in with you if only for a moment - might as well make sure you get settled in alright, if that's alright with you."

"Might as well," Minato said, before they put away the helmets and moved on up the stairs to the entrance of the building. Upon entering the building, they looked around a short bit, Minato taking his earbuds off his ears. Just when he was about to speak up again—

"You're late. I've been waiting a long time for you."

—a boy spoke up from his left, causing both Minato and Nayuki to look in that direction.

"Oh? Another one can see me? Intriguing… most intriguing," the boy said, spooking both the older people. He then turned to gaze at Nayuki in the eyes. "I see that you have something akin to the 'Potential', but not the exact ability… indeed, a female Wizard is most impressive if one can see me."

Nayuki's eyes narrowed. This… boy… could tell what she was? She didn't think he was a Phantom - they normally called her 'Mahoutsukai', which meant something very similar to Wizard - but she didn't really want to take chances, as she slipped a rather large ring with the image of a black hand trimmed in gold onto her right hand.

The boy vanished into thin air, the sign that he had moved at all to a different location being the snapping of his fingers as he moved in front of Minato's torso. "Now, if you want to proceed, sir," he said, before extending his right hand to the counter. "Please sign your name there, in the red binder."

Minato walked over to the counter, seeing the red binder with what looked like a simple document. "What is this?" he asked.

"It's a contract," the boy said, and was all that he got out before Nayuki pulled out her WizarSwordGun in gun mode… aimed at the boy.

"What _kind_ of 'Contract'?" she asked, warily. "Those don't normally end well for the one signing them… especially with nonhuman beings."

"Relax," the boy said, as if to assure her. "_His_ contract only says that he'll abide by the choices and consequences of said choices he makes. It has to do with his reason for being here… and I was asked to relay it to him if he were to proceed. _Your_ contract, on the other hand, is a _bit_ different."

Her eyebrow rose, before her eyes narrowed. "And just how 'different' is it?" she asked.

The boy simply walked over to her contract, which was in a blue binder, before walking back to her with it in his hands. "Well, you can see for yourself, miss," he said, handing the contract to her.

Upon putting away the WizarSwordGun and opening the binder, Nayuki saw the contract for what it was worth, a document with immense magical power that was able to bind itself to her soul. The document itself said, "I promise to hold myself responsible to the choices I make and the consequences thereof. I also promise to return my powers until such time as they are needed, spend time with those that fight Shadows in this town, and not to run off from the activities of the group without good reason."

Nayuki rose an eyebrow. "What do some of the terms on this thing mean?" she asked.

The boy answered, "In effect, you will need to return your ability to use much of your powers until later on, when necessary. You will also need to fight Shadows, monsters of the human Psyche, with the people of this dorm. As for the running off part? A good reason would include what you're already used to."

She frowned. What she was 'already used to' hopefully wasn't around here, so basically she would have to rely on her old comrades to fight them in other locations. The returning of much of her powers basically meant she couldn't use her stronger Rings, unless an opponent came up that required their use. And these 'Shadows' must have been what she was sensing earlier… monsters of the human Psyche, huh? She wondered how different that was from what she was used to…

She paused a few moments. "I doubt this thing could be ripped up, if it's as powerful as I can sense," she muttered to herself. "Well… no helping it, I guess…" she took a pen and signed her name on the paper.

Minato signed his contract as well, handing it to the boy at the same time that Nayuki did as well. "By the way," the boy said, "Your contract, miss, was given to you through me by a man in a strange butterfly mask. He'll be able to explain it better than I can. Now… no one can escape time. It delivers all equally to the same end. You can't close your eyes and cover your ears." With that, he waved a hand over the contracts, making them vanish into thin air.

Minato's eyes widened at seeing that happen, and would've asked what that was about, but the darkness of the outside started to apply to in the building. With the shadows encroaching on the boy, he said, "And so it begins…"

And the boy disappeared as the lights fully cut out, plunging the room into the same eerie green darkness as the outside.

"O-kay…" Nayuki remarked as she slipped the Ring on her finger back into her backpack. "That was… definitely not normal…"

"Who's there?!" a young woman's voice cried out from near the staircase, causing the two newcomers to turn and face a teenage girl in a pink cardigan with a red bow on her shirt and… was that a gun in a holster on her right leg, fer cryin' out loud?!

"Umm… hi…?" Nayuki asked. "This isn't really what it looks like, I mean, the door was unlocked when we got here…"

"Do you _really_ expect me to believe that?!" the teen demanded of Nayuki, before—

"Takeba, wait!"

—an older teen in a white cardigan interrupted the situation.

* * *

_The magic rings, the Wizard Rings._

(A red magic circle appears over a black background. Four lights appear at the main corners of the Circle, from which appear the Flame, Water, Hurricane, and Land Style Rings.)

_They shine on both hands of the modern mage._

(The Rings float in different directions, Water, Hurricane, and Land going off the screen as Flame lands on Nayuki's left middle finger as she appears silhouetted in front of the magic circle, Driver On Ring on her right middle finger)

_As she changes despair into hope._

(A close-up image of Nayuki's head and shoulders, still silhouetted, as the helmet and upper outfit of Wizard Flame Style super-impose themselves over her form.)

**(BGM: Life is SHOW TIME [TV Version])**

_Maji ka? Maji de? Maji da! Showtime! __**(**__**Seriously [it's magic]!? Really!? I'm serious! Show Time!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style does a few spins in various positions relative to a red magic circle on a white background, before appearing on Winger WizarDragon, which flies off the screen before WizarDragon flies back onto the screen, lobbing a fireball from its mouth before the flash resolves into the title logo.)

_Maru de tsuki to taiyou __**(**__**It's like the shock**__**)**_

(Nayuki is seen standing atop the Iwatodai Dorms building, overlooking the whole town, before the scene shifts to a solar eclipse, then to Wizard Flame Style spinning to face her right, and finally to Nayuki spinning to face her left.)

_Kasanaru toki no shougeki __**(**__**When the moon and the sun collide!**__**)**_

(Nayuki stands in the middle of a crowded street, head down, before raising it somewhat to look at a boy in a style similar to that of a jailbird, who looks up to reveal Pharos.)

_Dare datte kiseki shinjite mitai __**(**__**Everyone wants to believe in a miracle**__**)**_

(Pharos lifts his right hand up, the back of it facing Nayuki, and the screen shifts to show them reaching for each other's hand, before it shows them walking across the street to each other, Mitsuru appearing on Pharos' side, Minato showing up on Nayuki's side.)

_Kitto hitotsu you_ _fukaketsu no ENAJI_ _kokoro no da ne __**(The indispensable energy that people need comes from the heart)**_

(The background shatters, before Mitsuru drives up on her own motorcycle, pulling off her helmet before brandishing her rapier and Evoker. Minato then appears, a silhouetted image of Thanatos behind him. Pharos and Nayuki appear in front of a Velvet Doorway.)

_Yume to yosou ii imi de uragitte kureru mono __**(Dreams and expectations will betray you in a good way)**_

(Yukari Takeba is seen looking through a tome of magic, while a magic ball shows Nayuki transforming into Kamen Rider Wizard, the ball being held by Pharos.)

_3! 21! 1! Showtime!_

(The scene shows Pharos' immediate area glowing in light.)

_Magic Time!_

(Wizard Flame Style is seen in front of a building, jumping and spinning in place.)

_TRICK ja nai! __**(It's no trick!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style lands on the ground, lifting her right hand to her mask, before lowering her arm.)

_Mahou HIIRO hanpa nee ze __**(The Magic Hero is no pushover!)**_

(A red magic circle appears under her feet, with three separate magic circles, red, blue, and yellow, underneath the Red Garuda, Blue Unicorn, and Yellow Kraken PlaMonsters respectively, before Wizard Flame Style spins around and sends her familiars out.)

_Mo-to halelujah_

(Three red magic circles appear around Wizard Flame Style as fire appears behind her.)

_Kioku no roots moguri-konde kibou sukui-dase __**(Dig into the roots of memory and save that hope!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style leaps through a blue magic circle to her right, becoming Wizard Water Style, then leaps up through a green magic circle to become Hurricane Style, then drops down through a yellow magic circle to become Land Style.)

_Show Time!_

(Nayuki and Pharos reach for each other's hands and grab them.)

_Life is showtime! Tobikiri no __**(Life is Showtime! It's exhilerating!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style is seen falling through magic circles.)

_Unmei to RAIFU mucha shite mo __**(Even if you're reckless with fate and life!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style is riding Machine Winger down a road, as WizarDragon flies up alongside. Machine Winger and WizarDragon combine to form Winger WizarDragon, with Nayuki still riding.)

_Mo-to halelujah_

(Back with the close up on Nayuki and Pharos' hands, as Nayuki moves the Hope Ring towards Pharos' finger.)

_Kinou, kyou, ashita, mirai __**(Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, and in the future…)**_

(Nayuki, Minato, Yukari, and Mitsuru are in the Iwatodai dorm, each doing various things. Their positions switch two times, with each switch showing a new set of activities.)

_Subete no namida wo __**(…all those tears…)**_

(Nayuki is riding Machine Winger, Mitsuru riding behind her.)

_Show Time!_

(Nayuki finishes sliding the Hope Ring onto Pharos' finger, the ring beginning to light up.)

_Kouseki ni kaette yaruze __**(…I will change them into jewels!)**_

(Wizard's four main Styles come into view, Flame in the center, Water from the right, Hurricane from above, and Land from the left. The four pose identically as Water, Hurricane, and Land turn into light and merge with Flame.)

_Maji ka? Maji de? Maji da! Showtime! __**(**__**Seriously [it's magic]!? Really!? I'm serious! Show Time!)**_

(Brief shot of Nayuki holding up her left hand with the Flame Style Ring on it, followed by Wizard Flame Style doing a brief spin and posing in front of Machine Winger, the story logo once again flaming into existence in the foreground.)

* * *

**Xamusel: Well… this was a new experience for me. For one thing, I've never seen much in the way of Kamen Rider or Super Sentai (Power Rangers kinda count in regards to Super Sentai), until I started watching Kamen Rider Wizard recently. That, well, got me hooked on Kamen Rider in general.**

**Anyway, I'm helping Takeshi write this story, so expect this on his profile instead of mine. I hope that the story is well received by you guys… who knows? It might even be a TVTropes worthy story.**

**Well, now, later!**


	2. Ch 1: Early Morning to First Shadow

Disclaimer: Neither Takeshi Yamato nor Xamusel own Kamen Rider Wizard or Persona 3. We only own the idea from the plot, and some of the OCs.

**Takeshi Yamato: Hello, everyone!**

**Welcome to the official first chapter of A Wizard in Iwatodai!**

**Before we begin, I must get this out there: Yes, we did a Female version of Wizard.**

**Xam and I are both **_**new**_** fans of Kamen Rider - we still haven't seen enough of KRW to get Haruto Soma's personality down, or enough of a grasp of the plot to write it out. Thus, we are doing this post-KRW, and we are using OCs for each of the Riders.**

**Of course, this being post-KRW, Nayuki would have access to her Dragon Styles and Infinity Style, but that might make things a bit too OP - hence the contract, which limits her to the Basic Styles for now, and also limits her from the Special, Blizzard, Thunder, Gravity, and Miracle Rings until the situation calls for it.**

**Now, let's see what fate has in store for the Wizard next! :D**

* * *

**A Wizard in Iwatodai**

Story by Takeshi Yamato, written by Takeshi Yamato and Xamusel

* * *

_**Iwatodai, Kirijo Dorm - 12:00 AM (Dark Hour), April 7, 2009**_

* * *

It was a minor Mexican Standoff - Nayuki and Minato on one side, the girl in the pink cardigan at the foot of the stairs glaring at them, the redhead in the white cardigan standing off to the side, all backlit by the eerie green from the outside—

—And then the lights came on again as everything seemed to return to normal.

"Huh… that's odd," the redhead said. "It doesn't usually end this soon, unless it's to account for yesterday."

Nayuki's ears perked up at that. It seemed that at least the redhead knew something about that mysterious phenomena. And looking her over, she _was_ kind of attracti-

Nayuki shook her head, trying to banish such thoughts from her mind. She'd only just met the woman, for crying out loud! Not to mention Koyomi's… death… was still less than a month ago - not really enough time to start thinking about another relationship.

The redhead turned to face Minato, then saw Nayuki, before thinking, '_Wait a minute… who on earth _is_ she?_' She wasn't registered for this dorm, was she? Or was she a new teacher, given the rather sexy appearance th-

'_Get a _grip_, Mitsuru,_' the redhead, Mitsuru Kirijo, thought to herself as she shook her head. '_I'm not interested in pursuing a relationship with anyone, much less a woman who could very well be a _teacher_!_'

Steeling her resolve, she walked over to Minato and said, "I didn't think you'd get here so late. My name is Mitsuru Kirijo, a third year in your school."

The girl in the Pink Cardigan turned to Mitsuru and asked, "Who're they?"

Before Mitsuru could answer that…

"Minato Arisato, second-year. Just transfered to Iwatodai today, after living away from here for 10 years."

"Nayuki Kinomoto, second-year. Just transfered as well today, though this is my first time being in the area."

"Oh, uh, nice to meet you two," the girl said, turning back to them. "Yukari Takeba, second-year."

"Is this a girl's dorm?" Minato asked Yukari.

"Why do you have a gun holster attached to your leg?" Nayuki asked right after Minato asked his question.

Yukari appeared somewhat flustered, with the unusual contrast of both questions unnerving her. "U-uh…" she began, looking to Mitsuru as if silently begging '_Help!_'

Mitsuru, on the other hand, was off in lalaland at hearing that Nayuki was a student like herself… for all of a minute. "W-what? What'd I miss?" she asked aloud after breaking out of lalaland.

"Well, Minato-san here asked if this was a girl's dorm," Nayuki explained. "And then I asked why Yukari-san has a gun holster on her leg."

"Oh, right," Mitsuru said. "Well, to answer them one at a time, this isn't a girl's only dorm. It's co-ed. As for the second question, it's to prevent thieves from trying to rob us. They aren't real, though."

"Ah," Nayuki replied, as she and Minato both nodded. "Makes sense, I suppose."

"Also, Nayuki-san, I don't think I saw you on the list registered for the dorm," Mitsuru remarked. "So, what are you doing here?"

"Ran into Minato-san here on the way to my hotel - I've booked a room for a few days until I get a more permanent place to stay," Nayuki explained. "Since this place was on the way to my hotel, thought I'd give him a lift, then see him safely inside before heading to my hotel."

Mitsuru nodded at that, before saying, "I see. Don't worry, that was alright, so long as it's not a habit you make." Turning to face Minato, she said, "It's getting late. Why don't you go to bed and get some shut eye? Takeba will show you to your room."

"Sure thing, Sempai," Yukari replied. "Let's go."

Minato nodded, and followed Yukari up the stairs, leaving Nayuki and Mitsuru alone down below.

"I take it you know something about that phenomena we were in?" Nayuki asked, now that the two were alone.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," Mitsuru said, before Nayuki got up in her personal space for grilling her.

"I'm not buying that," she replied. "When everything returned to normal, I heard you saying that, 'it doesn't usually end this soon.' That implies to me that you know something."

Mitsuru backed up a bit, until she hit the wall, with nowhere to go. It was at this time that she broke out something of the truth to Nayuki, saying, "Yes, I do know something about the phenomena, the Dark Hour."

"Dark Hour…" Nayuki commented. "Well, nice to have a name for it, at least." She then looked at Mitsuru. "I'll likely want to know more later, but as you said, it's rather late, so I should get to my hotel."

"Oh? How did you make it here so fast, anyway?" Mitsuru asked Nayuki, before the latter went to the door and opened it, showing Mitsuru her motorcycle… and causing her to gape.

"I call it Machine Winger," Nayuki remarked as she walked up to it. "And apparently the Dark Hour doesn't affect it."

"B-b-b-but how?!" Mitsuru asked with a spluttering of her lips.

"Tell you what," Nayuki said as she mounted the bike and donned her helmet. "Next time we get a chance to meet privately, you can tell me more about the Dark Hour, and I can explain more about Machine Winger. Deal?"

Mitsuru could only nod as Nayuki rode off in the direction of the hotel.

* * *

_The magic rings, the Wizard Rings._

(A red magic circle appears over a black background. Four lights appear at the main corners of the Circle, from which appear the Flame, Water, Hurricane, and Land Style Rings.)

_They shine on both hands of the modern mage._

(The Rings float in different directions, Water, Hurricane, and Land going off the screen as Flame lands on Nayuki's left middle finger as she appears silhouetted in front of the magic circle, Driver On Ring on her right middle finger)

_As she changes despair into hope._

(A close-up image of Nayuki's head and shoulders, still silhouetted, as the helmet and upper outfit of Wizard Flame Style super-impose themselves over her form.)

**(BGM: Life is SHOW TIME [TV Version])**

_Maji ka? Maji de? Maji da! Showtime! __**(**__**Seriously [it's magic]!? Really!? I'm serious! Show Time!**__**)**_

(Wizard Flame Style does a few spins in various positions relative to a red magic circle on a white background, before appearing on Winger WizarDragon, which flies off the screen before WizarDragon flies back onto the screen, lobbing a fireball from its mouth before the flash resolves into the title logo.)

_Maru de tsuki to taiyou __**(**__**It's like the shock**__**)**_

(Nayuki is seen standing atop the Iwatodai Dorms building, overlooking the whole town, before the scene shifts to a solar eclipse, then to Wizard Flame Style spinning to face her right, and finally to Nayuki spinning to face her left.)

_Kasanaru toki no shougeki __**(**__**When the moon and the sun collide!**__**)**_

(Nayuki stands in the middle of a crowded street, head down, before raising it somewhat to look at a boy in a style similar to that of a jailbird, who looks up to reveal Pharos.)

_Dare datte kiseki shinjite mitai __**(**__**Everyone wants to believe in a miracle**__**)**_

(Pharos lifts his right hand up, the back of it facing Nayuki, and the screen shifts to show them reaching for each other's hand, before it shows them walking across the street to each other, Mitsuru appearing on Pharos' side, Minato showing up on Nayuki's side.)

_Kitto hitotsu you_ _fukaketsu no ENAJI_ _kokoro no da ne __**(The indispensable energy that people need comes from the heart)**_

(The background shatters, before Mitsuru drives up on her own motorcycle, pulling off her helmet before brandishing her rapier and Evoker. Minato then appears, a silhouetted image of Thanatos behind him. Pharos and Nayuki appear in front of a Velvet Doorway.)

_Yume to yosou ii imi de uragitte kureru mono __**(Dreams and expectations will betray you in a good way)**_

(Yukari Takeba is seen looking through a tome of magic, while a magic ball shows Nayuki transforming into Kamen Rider Wizard, the ball being held by Pharos.)

_3! 21! 1! Showtime!_

(The scene shows Pharos' immediate area glowing in light.)

_Magic Time!_

(Wizard Flame Style is seen in front of a building, jumping and spinning in place.)

_TRICK ja nai! __**(It's no trick!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style lands on the ground, lifting her right hand to her mask, before lowering her arm.)

_Mahou HIIRO hanpa nee ze __**(The Magic Hero is no pushover!)**_

(A red magic circle appears under her feet, with three separate magic circles, red, blue, and yellow, underneath the Red Garuda, Blue Unicorn, and Yellow Kraken PlaMonsters respectively, before Wizard Flame Style spins around and sends her familiars out.)

_Mo-to halelujah_

(Three red magic circles appear around Wizard Flame Style as fire appears behind her.)

_Kioku no roots moguri-konde kibou sukui-dase __**(Dig into the roots of memory and save that hope!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style leaps through a blue magic circle to her right, becoming Wizard Water Style, then leaps up through a green magic circle to become Hurricane Style, then drops down through a yellow magic circle to become Land Style.)

_Show Time!_

(Nayuki and Pharos reach for each other's hands and grab them.)

_Life is showtime! Tobikiri no __**(Life is Showtime! It's exhilerating!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style is seen falling through magic circles.)

_Unmei to RAIFU mucha shite mo __**(Even if you're reckless with fate and life!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style is riding Machine Winger down a road, as WizarDragon flies up alongside. Machine Winger and WizarDragon combine to form Winger WizarDragon, with Nayuki still riding.)

_Mo-to halelujah_

(Back with the close up on Nayuki and Pharos' hands, as Nayuki moves the Hope Ring towards Pharos' finger.)

_Kinou, kyou, ashita, mirai __**(Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, and in the future…)**_

(Nayuki, Minato, Yukari, and Mitsuru are in the Iwatodai dorm, each doing various things. Their positions switch two times, with each switch showing a new set of activities.)

_Subete no namida wo __**(…all those tears…)**_

(Nayuki is riding Machine Winger, Mitsuru riding behind her.)

_Show Time!_

(Nayuki finishes sliding the Hope Ring onto Pharos' finger, the ring beginning to light up.)

_Kouseki ni kaette yaruze __**(…I will change them into jewels!)**_

(Wizard's four main Styles come into view, Flame in the center, Water from the right, Hurricane from above, and Land from the left. The four pose identically as Water, Hurricane, and Land turn into light and merge with Flame.)

_Maji ka? Maji de? Maji da! Showtime! __**(**__**Seriously [it's magic]!? Really!? I'm serious! Show Time!**__**)**_

(Brief shot of Nayuki holding up her left hand with the Flame Style Ring on it, followed by Wizard Flame Style doing a brief spin and posing in front of Machine Winger, the story logo once again flaming into existence in the foreground.)

* * *

**Chapter 1: From Early Morning to First Shadows**

* * *

_**Gekkoukan High School, Entrance - 7:30 AM, April 7, 2009**_

* * *

Nayuki hadn't gotten the best of sleep when she'd gotten into the hotel, but she had gotten some. Luckily, the hotel's breakfast bar had a large supply of plain sugar donuts - which Nayuki had promptly cleaned out.

She was currently munching on one as she walked her bike up the path to the entrance to the school, having gotten directions on her way out of the hotel.

As she walked up, she saw a pair of familiar faces. "Ah, Minato-san, Yukari-san," she greeted. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Nayuki-san," Yukari greeted.

"G'morning, Nayuki-san," Minato said.

"You two sleep well?" Nayuki asked. "I didn't get the best of sleep, but…" she held up her donut, and gestured to a bag which still had a fair number of them that was hanging from one of Machine Winger's handlebars. "…luckily my hotel had a supply of my preferred pick-me up."

"Donuts? Really?" Minato asked, slightly incredulous about it.

"Not to sound rude, but, is that _really_ good for your weight?" Yukari asked, hopefully without getting herself in trouble.

"I tend to burn through a lot of energy," Nayuki replied. "Means I need to eat a lot of high-energy foods to replenish it." She indicated the donuts again. "And Plain Sugar Donuts are my favorite high-energy food."

"Um…" Minato was able to say.

"Is that how you got your big breasts?" Yukari asked, in a hushed whisper.

Nayuki leaned in. "Actually, for that, it's likely more because I tend to get a craving for milk during… 'that time of the month'."

Minato's eyes widened, having overheard the conversation more than he'd care to admit, as his face took on a solid red hue.

"Really? Wow… that's something," Yukari said in the same hushed whisper. "I hope you have less of an issue in regards to girls picking on you, or boys hitting on you just for your breasts."

Nayuki shrugged. "Eh, I can take care of myself. As for the boys… well, they always tend to deflate when I mention that I don't swing that way."

Minato inadvertently tripped over his own two feet that time, knocking Yukari and Nayuki down with him, before they caused a massive pile-up in front of the gates as students ended up tripping over their own two feet for no real reason.

* * *

_**A few minutes later, inside the school building…**_

* * *

They'd gotten untangled relatively quickly, and made it inside the building without any further mishap.

"Minato-san, I'm curious, but… why did you trip like that, when there wasn't anything around to trip on?" Yukari asked, oblivious to the circumstances.

"N… not really sure…" Minato replied, not wanting to potentially incur their wrath. "Just a random bout of clumsiness, I guess."

Nayuki looked at Minato and said, "Or was it because of you overhearing the conversation more than you'd care to admit?"

Minato's face flushed in embarrassment, which really provided more of a clue than anything, even as he stuttered a lot, trying to deny it.

Yukari, despite the fact that she should be indignant about Minato's blatant denial, merely shook her head with a slight irritation. "Anyway, this isn't the time to worry about that, as we're inside now," she said. "By the way, I don't want to know what would happen if the school decides to split us apart, for some reason… no idea why I feel that way."

"Well, I guess we'll find out," Nayuki remarked. She then looked over at the bulletin board. "And there's way too many students crowding around the bulletin board, so we won't find out what class we're in that way." She looked at Yukari. "Well, might as well check out the Faculty Office, see if a teacher's there to help."

It was at this time that Minato said, "Okay, back. We're in the same class."

Nayuki blinked. "Wow, how'd you get to the Bulletin Board through all that crowd?" she asked.

"Simple. There was a gap in between the crowd next to the wall," Minato replied, pointing at said gap.

Nayuki blinked again. "Well, good work, Minato-san," she said. "We might still need to check in at the Faculty office, though."

Yukari gave them a nod, before saying, "Well, I'll see you two later. I need to get to the welcoming ceremony, which you two might do as well." With that, she walked over to the auditorium, leaving the two of them to their own devices.

Minato looked at Nayuki and said, "Time to get going, then."

Nayuki nodded, as they headed down the corridor to the left, looking for the Faculty Office.

* * *

_**Faculty Office**_

* * *

Nayuki and Minato soon found themselves in the correct part of the school, walking into the correct door, before they found a female teacher to help them.

"Oh, are you the new students?" The teacher asked. "Nayuki Kinomoto and Minato Arisato, correct?"

"Yes, ma'am," Nayuki said.

"Yep, that's me," Minato said.

The teacher looked over something on a clipboard, and then back up at Minato. "Wow, you've lived in a lot of different places…"

"Eh, sorta required of me," Minato said. "It's odd, really, being juggled from one relative to another."

The teacher frowned a bit, looking at the clipboard again. "Let's see… in 1999, that was, what, ten years ago? Your parents-" the teacher then let out a quiet gasp.

"See what I mean?" Minato asked.

"Yes…" the teacher replied, somewhat melancholy. "…I'm sorry… I've been so busy, I haven't been able to read any of this beforehand."

"Not even mine?" Nayuki asked, somewhat irritated at the teacher, given what was just said.

"It can get pretty busy here," the teacher replied apologetically, as she flipped a page on the clipboard to get to Nayuki's file. "Hmm… You haven't had any official schooling Nayuki-chan?" she asked.

"Home schooling was pretty much all I had," Nayuki said, shrugging. "I _did_ get kidnapped at a young age, though, but you probably won't believe the specifics behind it."

The teacher's eyes widened, even as she saw a small note on the kidnapping in her file. "Well, at least you turned out alright," she remarked. "Anyway, I'm Ms. Toriumi. I teach composition. Welcome to our school."

"A pleasure," Nayuki said.

"It's a wonderful time to be alive," Minato declared. "Especially to be at this school!"

"Such enthusiasm!" Ms. Toriumi replied with a smile. "Anyway, have you seen the classroom assignments? You're in 2-F; that's my class." She then looked at a clock. "But first, we need to go to the Auditorium. The Welcoming Ceremony will be starting soon."

"Okay, lead the way," Nayuki said, Minato nodding in agreement.

* * *

_**School Auditorium**_

* * *

As the students and teachers were all seated, the School Principal was standing at the podium, making a speech.

"As you begin the new school year," he was saying, "I'd like each of you to remember the proverb, 'if a job's worth doing, it's worth doing well.' When applied to student life, this means…"

Nayuki was doing her best to pay attention and not fall asleep from how dull the speech was being, while Minato luckily had his music player, which he was currently listening to to pass the time.

It was while Nayuki was about to fall asleep when she felt a tapping on her shoulder, with a girl saying, "Hey... you walked in with that hottie and Yukari-chan this morning, right?"

"Helped him get to his dorm, which was apparently the same one Yukari-san was staying in, and then ran into them again on the way to school," Nayuki replied. "Also, I don't really consider him a 'hottie' - then again, I don't swing that way."

"So you don't know if he has a girlfriend, then?" the girl from behind her asked.

It was at this time that Minato felt a tapping on _his_ shoulder, with a boy saying, "Hey… you came to school with Yukari-san and that hot girl this morning, didn't you? Hey, I have a question… do you know if they have boyfriends?"

"Nayuki-san? No, and she won't get one," Minato said. "As for Yukari-san, hell if I know, I just met her last night at the dorm I'm staying at."

"Huh, rather lucky," the student behind him replied. "And why wouldn't that other girl get a boyfriend?"

"Because, from what I overheard her mentioning to Yukari-san, she 'doesn't swing that way'," Minato replied.

Before the conversations could continue, a teacher called out, "I hear talking! It sounds like it's someone from Ms. Toriumi's class."

Almost immediately, Ms. Toriumi said to them, "Shh. Be quiet! You're going to get me in trouble!"

And with that, they all quieted down, as the speech continued…

* * *

_**Classroom 2-F, After School**_

* * *

After the Ceremony, it had been a fairly uneventful day of class, as the two were introduced to class and given seats, surprisingly next to each other, then going through a few introductory classes.

Now that classes were officially over for the day, Nayuki and Minato were packing up to head out, when—

"What's up, dudes? How's it going?"

—they were blocked by a young man with a baseball cap.

"Who are you?" Minato asked.

"Me?" the young man asked. "I'm Junpei Iori! Nice to meet ya! I transferred here when I was in eighth grade. I know how tough it is being the new kid… so, I thought I'd say, 'hey.' See what a nice guy I am!"

"Uh… what?" Nayuki asked. Before any further conversation could be had, Yukari showed up, as if on a set course.

"Hey, it's Yuka-tan!" Junpei said as he noticed her. "I didn't think we'd be in the same class again."

With a sigh, Yukari said, "At it again, huh? I swear, you'll talk to anyone if they'll listen. Did you ever think you might be bothering someone?"

Junpei looked at Yukari incredulously, before saying, "What? But, I was just bein' friendly."

"If you say so," Yukari and Nayuki said at the same time, causing each other to blink in surprise.

Yukari then looked in Minato and Nayuki's direction, before saying, "Anyway, looks like we really _are_ in the same homeroom…"

"It's just a coincidence," Minato and Nayuki said at the same time, before they blinked in surprise and looked at each other oddly.

"I know, but still… I was a little surprised that Minato-san wasn't lying," Yukari said, getting their attention again.

Junpei spoke up again, saying, "Um, hello? Are you forgetting that I'm in this class too? By the way, I heard you three came to school together this morning. What's up with that? C'mon, gimme the dirt!"

Before Yukari could say anything…

"Minato-san and Yukari-san are in the same dorm," Nayuki replied. "I helped get Minato-san to the Dorm last night, as it was on the way to my hotel, where I'm staying till I can find something more permanent, and I ran into them again today on the way into school."

Yukari spared Nayuki a brief glance before looking back at Junpei. "Exactly. There's nothing going on, okay? Why are people even talking about it!? Now you have me worried…" Looking at Minato, she said in a hushed tone, "Hey… you didn't say anything at all about… you know what, did you?"

"You mean that Mexican Standoff last night between you, Mitsuru-san, and Nayuki-san and I?" Minato asked.

"Mexican Standoff?" Junpei asked, curiously.

"Minato-san and I got into town really late," Nayuki explained. "When I got him to his dorm, it was midnight, and the door was unlocked, so I thought I'd see him safely inside. Yukari-san was somewhat distrustful, and Mitsuru-san, another resident at the dorm, was rather wary of me, considering I wasn't registered as a resident, but it all resolved itself rather nicely."

"That put it nice and aptly," Yukari said, relieved that it was explained that way. Looking at her watch, she said, "I've gotta go. I've got something to take care of for the Archery Team. But, you better not be spreading any rumors, Junpei!" With that, she walked out the door.

Junpei eventually said, "Ah, who cares? Nobody takes rumors seriously, anyway. She's so paranoid…"

"Some people are like that," Nayuki remarked. "Honestly, I don't care for rumors much, either - too many of them could obscure the truth about something."

Junpei nodded in agreement about that, before saying, "But, hey! It's your first day here, and already people are talking about you two! You might not believe it, but she's actually pretty popular. You da—"

"I'm not able to be much of a man to get them both, Junpei-san," Minato said. "Nayuki-san doesn't like men like that."

Junpei looked at Nayuki, shock on his face. "Seriously?" he asked. "You're not interested in guys like that?"

"Not really," Nayuki remarked. "Nothing against guys, I just swing the other way."

Junpei looked down at the floor, before saying, "I see… my bad." Lifting his face up, his attitude took a 180 as he said, "Hehehe, this is gonna be a fun year. I can feel it!"

Minato decided to head back to his dorm with Junpei, but Nayuki didn't really have much else to do, so she explored the campus a bit.

It was while she was about to head down the stairs that she heard footsteps from behind her, with Mitsuru's voice calling out, "Kinomoto, a moment of your time, please?"

She turned, and saw Mitsuru walking up to her. "Fine by me, Mitsuru-senpai," she said. "Where would you like to talk?"

"Why not as we walk?" Mitsuru suggested, walking up beside Nayuki.

"That works," Nayuki replied, as she reached into her backpack and pulled out a Ring. Like most of her other Rings, the 'gem' part was rather oversized compared to a regular ring. This one appeared to have a red crystal core, with the metal motif around it showing some kind of bird. "Let me just take care of something really quick…"

She moved her school jacket a bit, revealing that instead of the standard belt she had her own regular belt, with what looked like a black hand trimmed with gold over the buckle. Slipping the Ring onto her right middle finger, she held the Ring over the hand on her belt, as a voice called out, "_**GARUDA, PLEASE!**_" A tray materialized in front of Nayuki, containing several parts that separated from the tray and seemed to come together to form a red-and-silver mechanical bird, with a slot on its chest. Nayuki took the ring from her finger and inserted it into the slot, and the bird came to life. "Go get a feel for the school layout, and make sure you aren't seen," she said to the bird. "I might need you to scout around later, so you should know how this place is laid out." The little bird nodded, and flew off.

Mitsuru's mind suddenly flew out of her head at seeing the Red Garuda, making her ask, "H-h-h-h-h-how?!"

Nayuki smiled at her. "I know it's not used all that much these days, Mitsuru-senpai, but Magic is most definitely real," she said. "Though, not many people can use it…"

"W-what makes you say that?" Mitsuru asked, calming down significantly.

Nayuki frowned a bit. "To properly explain that requires a little bit of explanation," she said, as the two began walking. "The first bit of the explanation, involves creatures known as Phantoms."

"Phantoms?" Mitsuru asked.

"Creatures born from despair," Nayuki replied. "When a person who has the potential to use magic, called a Gate, is driven to the depths of despair, a Phantom is born within them, and often breaks out violently, killing them and taking their place. These Phantoms then go about and drive more people into Despair, creating more Phantoms."

"What happens if they don't break out?" Mitsuru asked.

"About the only way that happens is if someone is able to hold onto hope in some fashion," Nayuki explained. "If a Gate who has been driven to despair is able to hold onto some kind of hope, they can suppress the Phantom within themselves, chain it in a sense. Those who do so… are able to use Magic."

"Wow… that sounds amazing," Mitsuru breathed. Noticing the time, she said, "We'd best get moving."

"Right," Nayuki replied as they began walking. "Anyway, the only other way to keep a Phantom from breaking out of a Gate is for a user of Magic to dive into the Gate's Underworld, their subconscious containing a memory of their happiest moment, and destroy the Phantom before it completely destroys the Underworld. This saves the Gate, but also removes any ability for them to use Magic."

"Is that right?" Mitsuru asked, before they made it down the stairs. "Would the use of Magic allow anything to work in the Dark Hour that normally wouldn't?"

"Apparently," Nayuki replied. "I think that's why Machine Winger isn't affected - it's powered by Magic."

"I see…" Mitsuru said. "In any case, I feel that I need to head back, before evening."

"Alright," Nayuki said as they stepped out of the school building, and headed to the Bike Rack, Nayuki to Machine Winger, and Mitsuru to her own bike.

* * *

_**Platform of the In-Between, Between April 8th and 9th, 2009**_

* * *

Okay… this was certainly stranger than most of Nayuki's dreams. In fact, it was probably one thing to dream this in bed, but it's definitely another to dream it standing upright! All she did beforehand was go to the door of her room in the hotel at the start of the Dark Hour and touch the handle, before a glowing blue butterfly appeared in front of her, which prompted her to reach out to it and touch it… which then made her go into this strange location. Was it a dream?

In front of her, there was a man in a white tuxedo, wearing a butterfly mask to obscure his face. With a bow, he said, "Welcome. It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Philemon, a dweller between consciousness and unconsciousness. And now, a simple test; can you state your name?"

"Nayuki Kinomoto," Nayuki replied. "And that mask… I assume you're the man who sent me that contract through that kid?"

"Indeed, I am," Philemon said. "And splendid, Miss Kinomoto… there aren't many who remember their identity when in this domain. It seems you've passed that test. But tell me this." He pointed his finger at her for a bit. "Are you aware of the many and varied selves you harbor within you?" Lowering his finger at that, he continued, "The self suffused with divine love. The self capable of demonic cruelty. People live by wearing different masks. Your current self may be only one of those innumerable masks. Do you have any questions so far?"

"Well, I guess my biggest two questions at the moment are: Have you worked with Wizards like myself before now, and why exactly was I needed to sign a contract?"

Philemon raised his middle and index fingers into the air, saying, "I have worked with one Wizard before you, a man named Haruto Soma in what would be considered an alternate reality, when he had a run-in with the company SEBEC, who were opening a doorway to an alternate reality tied to the psyche of a young girl named Maki Sonomura. He was one to help stop the branch president Takehisa Kandori, alongside a group of students with supernatural powers that I specifically help deal with… though the problem wasn't over until Pandora, another facet of the identity of Maki, was dealt with." Lowering the middle finger, he continued, "To answer your second question, not only is the power of a Gate a blessing, it is also a curse, especially as Shadows can make a Wizard go into sneezing fits or even worse when a Wizard fights them for too long."

"Like… Allergies?" Nayuki asked as Philemon lowered his index finger. The concept of parallel realities wasn't that far-fetched to her - she'd had an encounter or two that dealt with things like that - but the other reasoning was a bit shocking…

"Precisely," Philemon said, nodding. "However, that doesn't mean the inverse is false. A Gate that has access to their proper power to fight Shadows, on the other hand, is immune to the allergies. It needs to be that they have the manifestation of power opposite of suppressing a Phantom from within. However, a regular person with this power is incapable of facing a Ghoul or Phantom without getting a rash or worse."

Nayuki nodded, understanding a bit what was going on. "So, the contract was to enable me to fight Shadows without allergic reactions?" she asked.

"Indeed," Philemon said. "As I was about to say before asking if you had questions: You, though… you have a very firm grip on your identity. I respect your strong will. In return, I grant this power… Persona. It is the power to summon the selves within you, the god and the demons you harbor. The time is soon when you will need this power. Now, you must return, to your proper time and place."

With that, the vision ended, returning Nayuki to the realm of consciousness.

* * *

_**Iwatodai, Near the Kirijo Dorm - 12:00 (Dark Hour), Between April 9th and 10th, 2009 **_

* * *

The past couple of days hadn't really been that hectic, and nothing really unusual had happened, aside from that meeting with Philemon - School was fairly normal, though it seemed Ms. Toriumi had as much of a sweet tooth as Nayuki herself, if the fact that she wanted cake as apology for any mistakes was anything to go by.

Nayuki had also started exploring during the Dark Hour, despite the fact that it was normally a rest time. She'd learned that yes, her Magic was capable of fighting and defeating these 'Shadows', having had to fight a couple of minor ones. She hadn't run into anyone from the Kirijo dorm, yet, though, even though she knew they apparently fought the Shadows.

Tonight, her exploration had taken her towards the Kirijo Dorm, where she could sense something… familiar, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Eventually, she ran into a third-year running away from a giant mass of black goop and blue masks, with the roman numeral of 1 on top. This third-year had silver hair and gray eyes, and wore a red vest over a white shirt, with the symbol of a Boxing Captain on the vest. With that in mind, she stopped in front of her senpai and yelled, "Get on!"

The third-year looked a bit surprised, but quickly got on Machine Winger, as they took off away from the thing.

"Thanks," he remarked. "That thing's a lot tougher than anything I've faced before."

"Really, now?" Nayuki asked, curiously at that.

Soon enough, they got to the Kirijo Dorm, with the third-year pulling out a radio and calling, "Mitsuru, come in!"

"_Mitsuru here,_" she replied. "_What is it, Akihiko?_"

"You're not gonna believe it, but I just got away from a rather large Shadow! In fact—"

Nayuki looked to her right and said, "Uh, Senpai, you might want to look right. There's another one headed this way!"

He did, and swore. "Dammit! Mitsuru, we've got two big ones headed straight for the Dorm!"

"_What?! How close are they to the Dorm?_" Mitsuru questioned.

"The first one is still a ways off," Akihiko answered. "The second one is about on top of us, though!"

Mitsuru swore. "_Dammit… okay, we'll prepare for battle!_" she said. "_Also, you said you got away from the first one earlier… how did you do that?_"

Akihiko turned to face Nayuki and said over the radio, "A woman riding a motorcycle somehow was in the area, and—"

"_Woman riding a motorcycle?_" Mitsuru asked, interrupting him. "_Kinomoto-san?_"

"Hey there, Mitsuru-san," Nayuki replied, taking off her helmet. "Saw your friend trying to get away from that first large one, and decided to lend a hand." She stepped off of Machine Winger, and got out two rings - the one with the black hand matching the hand on her belt, and the other with a bright red crystal and what looked like some kind of mechanism. "Now… might as well show you what I can do."

She slipped the Ring with the hand on it on her right middle finger, the ring with the red crystal on her left. She brought her right hand down to her belt, and a voice called out, "_**DRIVER ON, PLEASE!**_"

As she pulled her hand away, a gleaming silver belt buckle materialized on her waist, a similar hand to the one on the normal belt in the center of the buckle, and a pair of switches on the left and right ends.

Nayuki put her hands on the sides of the belt, and flipped the switches such that the hand was pointing the other direction, causing the voice to call out, "_**SHABADOOBIE TOUCH TO HENSHIN! SHABADOOBIE TOUCH TO HENSHIN! SHABADOOBIE TOUCH TO HENSHIN!**_"

Bringing her left hand up, she used her right hand to trigger the mechanism on the Ring with the Red Crystal, causing transparent parts to fold down and give it the image of a face. "Henshin!" she called, as she placed her left hand over the belt.

"_**FLAME, PLEASE!**_" the voice called out as she flung her arm out to the side, causing a red Magic Circle to appear to her left, flames encircling it as it moved over her. "_**HII! HII! HII, HII, HII!**_"

Once the Magic Circle had passed over her, Nayuki stood transformed.

Her previous clothes had been exchanged for a full-body black suit that hugged her body, with what looked like an overcoat that was black on the outside and red on the inside stretching down from her waist. On her chest was a block of what looked like red jewels, and she had black, silver-trimmed shoulder armor. On her head was a helmet, silver with a round red face mask, and silver lines running along the upper part to give some semblance of eyes, and a slightly Gundam-like Head Crest.

She had become Kamen Rider Wizard Flame Style.

Turning to face Akihiko, Kamen Rider Wizard said, "Get inside the dorm. We don't know when the other one will get here, so we need to be careful, Senpai."

Akihiko looked stunned, but nodded. "Alright, but I'll definitely be wanting an explanation later," he said.

"No need to worry about that," Kamen Rider Wizard said, as she turned towards the stronger Shadow. "Saa, Showtime-da," she remarked, before going off to fight the stronger Shadow.

She switched out the Driver On Ring with another Ring, with an orange core and what looked like a dragon going in and out of some kind of portal on top of the Ring. She switched the hand on her Driver so it was oriented for her right hand again, and the Driver began to call out, "_**LUPACHI MAGIC TOUCH TO GO! LUPACHI MAGIC TOUCH TO GO! LUPACHI MAGIC TOUCH TO GO!**_" When she put her right hand over the Driver, it called out, "_**CONNECT, PLEASE!**_" and a Magic Circle appeared to her right, as she reached her hand into the Magic Circle, it passed through and vanished on the other side, though eventually she pulled her hand back out of the circle - and was holding her WizarSwordGun in Gun mode. As the Circle disappeared, she pointed the Gun at the Shadow and started pulling the trigger, firing Silver Bullets at the Shadow.

The Shadow moved on forward, the Silver Bullets not even scratching it, before it moved an arm into position with a blade in its hand to slash at her. Kamen Rider Wizard barely had time to shift the WizarSwordGun into Sword mode before she was forced to block, the force of the blow hurting her arm, even as she attempted to keep the blade from hitting her. Unfortunately, the Shadow's very presence was enough to make her start to sneeze after only about a minute of actual fighting, plus the minute and a half that she was setting up for fighting it.

'_Damn, the allergies that Philemon guy mentioned are already kicking in?!_' she thought to herself. '_It's a bit tougher than I thought, too - might have to kick it up a notch._'

As she leapt backwards to get some distance, she moved to switch the dial on her belt to the opposite direction with her right hand—

"_**UNKNOWN POWER DETECTED! UNKNOWN POWER DETECTED! UNKNOWN POWER DETECTED!**_" the driver called out as she was about to grab the buckle.

—when she realized that she had something completely wrong for the situation. Moving her hand to look at what was in it, she saw what looked like a Tarot card, only the image on the front was that of a woman with a background that looked like a moon on it, the woman's face covered by a black mask. In the woman's hands was an oversized katana, one that had a crescent moon on the hilt's bottom.

With a few beats of her heart in what seemed to be movie theater stereo, she drew in a deep breath and raised her hand that held the card, especially as she heard a woman's voice in her head say, "_Thou art I… and I am thou… from the sea of thine soul I cometh… I shall lend thee my strength in times of need…_"

It was at that time that Nayuki uttered three syllables at the same time that Minato Arisato was uttering the same syllables, only with a gun next to his head, put there of his own volition.

"Per… so… na!"

With a crushing motion, Nayuki crushed the card, forcing the Shadow to go backwards as an ethereal figure appeared behind her, the woman on the front showing up as said figure. "_Daughter of the ruler of the underworld and the father of creation, I am Tsukuyomi, Orb of the Night!_" Nayuki said as her Persona did, prompting the Shadow to stay still for a short while. It was at this time that the Shadow essentially transmogrified itself, revealing some figures that were not exactly expected to be seen by anyone in the year 2009… a large group of zombies.

"_Mahama!_" Nayuki called out, as a large amount of Expel/Light energy that was guaranteed to kill Zombies struck them down in one blow, causing them to disintegrate.

Cancelling the transformation as Kamen Rider Wizard, she asked herself, "Is it over?"

At that point, a bunch of small blobs showed up, with stubby arms and blue masks.

"I guess not," Nayuki said as she transformed back into Wizard. She still had the WizarSwordGun, which she switched into Gun Mode. "Saa, Finale-da," she said as she opened up the hand on the Gun, which began to chant, "_**COME ON AND SHOOT, SHAKE HANDS! COME ON AND SHOOT, SHAKE HANDS!**_"

She brought the Flame Ring on her left hand over the hand on the Gun, and it called out, "_**FLAME, SHOOTING STRIKE! HII HII HII! HII HII HII! HII HII HII!**_" as the Gun was covered with flames. She pulled the trigger, and this time, rather than Silver Bullets, the Gun shot fireballs, which devastated the Shadows, often destroying them with one Fireball each.

The battle, if it could even be called that, was over in fifteen seconds. In short, it was a massacre, the Shadows in question being exceptionally weak to fire.

As the last of the Shadows was destroyed, Nayuki spun so her back was to the flames, and posed with the top of the WizarSwordGun resting on her shoulder, as she said, "Whew. Well, that was interesting. Looks like I have a new power in addition to my Magic." She looked up at Tsukuyomi, who nodded at her before vanishing, returning to the form of a card which returned to wherever it had come from. Nayuki then dispelled her transformation again, and headed back to Machine Winger, to walk it up to the Kirijo Dorm.

She'd promised an explanation, and was going to give one.

* * *

_**Kirijo Dorm, 4th Floor Command Room**_

* * *

Mitsuru, Akihiko, and Shuji Ikutsuki all watched the twin camera views, one with Nayuki walking up towards the dorm, the other on the rooftop, Yukari checking on Minato's unconscious form.

"Well, Kinomoto's certainly powerful," Mitsuru remarked. "That Persona looked like something new to her, as well, but even without it, her Magic is certainly effective."

"Y… yes, I suppose it is," Ikutsuki replied. "I assume you will be asking her to join us as well, Mitsuru-san?"

"Yes, I will," Mitsuru answered. "Don't get me wrong, she probably would've been able to handle it on her own for a while longer, but she'll need a better support base eventually. She's probably the only one like herself in this case."

"Very well," Ikutsuki remarked. "Though, I will likely need to file a report on this, so I should get back to the office."

"Alright," Mitsuru replied. "I'll go greet Kinomoto-san. Akihiko, get Takeba and Arisato."

"Gotcha," Akihiko replied, and the three headed out, Akihiko up the stairs to Yukari and Minato, Mitsuru to the front door to greet Nayuki, and Ikutsuki out the back door.

'_I had no idea a Mahoutsukai had come to Iwatodai,_' Ikutsuki thought to himself. '_If she will be fighting alongside SEES, it would likely be best if I avoid the dorm from now on, and simply contact them via remote._

'_I wouldn't want the Mahoutsukai to find me out, after all…_'

* * *

_**Inside the collective chaos of people's hearts…**_

* * *

A dark mass of unbridled chaos briefly awakened from its slumber, having been put in that state some ten years ago. It was supposed to wake up after a minimum of 13 years, but the interference of its rival somehow got to waking it up unintentionally… even if for a short time.

'_Well… who knew that Philemon would do something as foolish as use a Wizard to help him in this timeline? I thought he learned his lesson the last timeline…?_' the entity thought. '_Meh, no matter. I'll defeat whoever is in my way, and in the way of annihilating the world and its population._'

With those thoughts, the entity of many aliases, The Crawling Chaos and Nyarlathotep being chief amongst them, alongside others, went back to sleep for the time being.

* * *

**Xamusel: Okay, to elaborate for those who thought this would only be a P3 crossover with Kamen Rider Wizard, it's not. I had the bright idea to add Philemon and Nyarlathotep into the story, both of whom are pivotal plot points in the first half of the current Persona series timeline, from before P3. It was also my idea to give Nayuki that weakness to Shadows without awakening her Persona, and it was my idea to do the call backwards to the first couple Persona games (P1 in particular).**

**Now… time to review, people, and tell us how we did on this.**


	3. Ch 2: Why You Should Find a Proper Medic

Disclaimer: Neither Takeshi Yamato nor Xamusel own Kamen Rider Wizard or Persona 3. We only own the idea from the plot, and some of the OCs.

**Takeshi Yamato: Hello, everyone!**

**Welcome to the second chapter of A Wizard in Iwatodai!**

**A quick note on Nayuki revealing Magic so freely to Mitsuru in the last chapter: She'd promised an explanation as to why Machine Winger worked in the Dark Hour. My belief is that Machine Winger runs on Magic, rather than gas like a normal Motorcycle - and anything that runs on Magic rather than conventional means will function in the Dark Hour. So, in order to explain that, she needed to explain Magic, and the best way to start that explanation is provide an example - hence, deploying the Red Garuda.**

**Now, let's see what fate has in store for the Wizard next! :D**

* * *

**A Wizard in Iwatodai**

Story by Takeshi Yamato, written by Takeshi Yamato and Xamusel

* * *

_**Iwatodai, Kirijo Dorm - 12:15 AM, April 10, 2009**_

* * *

Nayuki waited in the command room with Yukari while Mitsuru and Akihiko got things ready to explain to her how things were going in the area. While she was content to stay still under normal circumstances, this wasn't normal for her, considering that she was about to be forced into a situation where—

"Excuse me, Nayuki-san? Yukari? We need someone to open the door for us," Akihiko's voice carried through the door.

"On it, senpai," Yukari said, as she opened the door to reveal Akihiko and Mitsuru holding trays of food items in their hands.

—she would be waited on by her senpai?

"It was my idea," Mitsuru remarked. "Neither Akihiko nor myself have any kitchen experience, but… given how late it is, I thought that food might help keep us awake…"

"Sounds like a good idea, senpai," Nayuki replied as she took out the Connect Ring. "Let me grab something really quick…"

"_**CONNECT, PLEASE!**_" came from her belt as the typical Red Magic Circle appeared to her left, as she reached into it, and pulled out… a bag full of Plain Sugar Donuts.

"Okay, because I'm pretty sure we don't know how that works, could you please explain it?" Yukari asked Nayuki. "Actually, why do you always eat those donuts, anyway?"

"OK, second question first," Nayuki began. "Using my Magic tends to burn through a lot of energy. This can be replenished by sleeping, but I can also recover energy by eating sweets - and honestly, Plain Sugar Donuts are my favorite kind of sweets."

"Er, Nayuki-san, isn't the right term 'calories' instead of 'energy'?" Akihiko asked.

"Possibly," Nayuki replied. "Anyway, as to what I just did, my Connect Ring allows me to open a portal to somewhere else, reach through, and pull something through from the other side. It often goes into a special storage space for a lot of my equipment, but I can also open it to other places in this world where I know stuff is - like my hotel room, where I had this." She took a donut out of the bag and began munching on it.

"Kinomoto," Mitsuru said, "would you like tea with the donuts you brought over?"

Before Nayuki could answer, Akihiko turned to face Mitsuru and said, "Whoa, Mitsuru, this isn't like you! I never saw you like this with _anyone_ before, and that's saying something! Besides, donuts work better with coffee. It's part of common knowledge."

"I would be willing to try the Tea, though," Nayuki remarked. "Thank you very much, Mitsuru-senpai."

Before Mitsuru could pour the tea into the cup, Yukari said, "Actually, I was asking about how you did what you did in general. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were a legit Kamen Rider…" That was when realization hit her. "Wait, hold on. You _are_ a Kamen Rider, aren't you?"

Nayuki nodded. "First heard the term when I ran into another Rider named Fourze, but yes." She took a slight bow from her seat. "Kamen Rider Wizard, at your service."

"Shouldn't that be 'Witch'?" Akihiko asked.

"It does make sense," Mitsuru said. "Given the fact that a Witch is a female Wizard, you can imagine the confusion about that."

"Well, maybe," Nayuki admitted. "Still, Wizard was what I was called by others who knew about my Magic before I heard the term Kamen Rider, so Kamen Rider Wizard works well enough." She then held up a few of her Wizard Rings. "As for how it works, my Rings essentially each contain a spell within them - I put the Ring on my right middle finger, and run it over my Hand Author-" she indicated the hand on her belt, "-or my WizarDriver's Hand Author, and the spell activates. For my battle outfits, those require these Rings." She held up her four Basic Style Rings. "They go on my left middle finger, and I need the WizarDriver for that, because it can switch its input from reading from the right hand for spells, to from the left hand for transformations."

"Amazing…" Yukari breathed out. "To think that you're _the_ Kamen Rider Wizard. I _must_ get your autograph later!"

"Whoa, Yukari, give her some space!" Akihiko said with his arms held out to emphasize the point.

Mitsuru, meanwhile, finally poured the tea. "Here's your tea, Kinomoto," she said to Nayuki, handing her the tea.

"Thank you, Mitsuru-senpai," Nayuki replied, before taking a sip. "Mmm, quite good," she remarked, before turning to Yukari. "Anyway, I take it you've heard a bit about my exploits, Yukari-san? Perhaps you could help me explain it to Akihiko-senpai, seeing as how I've already given a basic explanation of my Magic and about Phantoms to Mitsuru-senpai."

* * *

_The magic rings, the Wizard Rings._

(A red magic circle appears over a black background. Four lights appear at the main corners of the Circle, from which appear the Flame, Water, Hurricane, and Land Style Rings.)

_They shine on both hands of the modern mage._

(The Rings float in different directions, Water, Hurricane, and Land going off the screen as Flame lands on Nayuki's left middle finger as she appears silhouetted in front of the magic circle, Driver On Ring on her right middle finger)

_As she changes despair into hope._

(A close-up image of Nayuki's head and shoulders, still silhouetted, as the helmet and upper outfit of Wizard Flame Style super-impose themselves over her form.)

**(BGM: Life is SHOW TIME [TV Version])**

_Maji ka? Maji de? Maji da! Showtime! __**(**__**Seriously [it's magic]!? Really!? I'm serious! Show Time!**__**)**_

(Wizard Flame Style does a few spins in various positions relative to a red magic circle on a white background, before appearing on Winger WizarDragon, which flies off the screen before WizarDragon flies back onto the screen, lobbing a fireball from its mouth before the flash resolves into the title logo.)

_Maru de tsuki to taiyou __**(**__**It's like the shock**__**)**_

(Nayuki is seen standing atop the Iwatodai Dorms building, overlooking the whole town, before the scene shifts to a solar eclipse, then to Wizard Flame Style spinning to face her right, and finally to Nayuki spinning to face her left.)

_Kasanaru toki no shougeki __**(**__**When the moon and the sun collide!**__**)**_

(Nayuki stands in the middle of a crowded street, head down, before raising it somewhat to look at a boy in a style similar to that of a jailbird, who looks up to reveal Pharos.)

_Dare datte kiseki shinjite mitai __**(**__**Everyone wants to believe in a miracle**__**)**_

(Pharos lifts his right hand up, the back of it facing Nayuki, and the screen shifts to show them reaching for each other's hand, before it shows them walking across the street to each other, Mitsuru appearing on Pharos' side, Minato showing up on Nayuki's side.)

_Kitto hitotsu you_ _fukaketsu no ENAJI_ _kokoro no da ne __**(The indispensable energy that people need comes from the heart)**_

(The background shatters, before Mitsuru drives up on her own motorcycle, pulling off her helmet before brandishing her rapier and Evoker. Minato then appears, a silhouetted image of Thanatos behind him. Pharos and Nayuki appear in front of a Velvet Doorway.)

_Yume to yosou ii imi de uragitte kureru mono __**(Dreams and expectations will betray you in a good way)**_

(Yukari Takeba is seen looking through a tome of magic, while a magic ball shows Nayuki transforming into Kamen Rider Wizard, the ball being held by Pharos.)

_3! 21! 1! Showtime!_

(The scene shows Pharos' immediate area glowing in light.)

_Magic Time!_

(Wizard Flame Style is seen in front of a building, jumping and spinning in place.)

_TRICK ja nai! __**(It's no trick!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style lands on the ground, lifting her right hand to her mask, before lowering her arm.)

_Mahou HIIRO hanpa nee ze __**(The Magic Hero is no pushover!)**_

(A red magic circle appears under her feet, with three separate magic circles, red, blue, and yellow, underneath the Red Garuda, Blue Unicorn, and Yellow Kraken PlaMonsters respectively, before Wizard Flame Style spins around and sends her familiars out.)

_Mo-to halelujah_

(Wizard Flame Style crushes a card in her hand, as Tsukuyomi appears behind her.)

_Kioku no roots moguri-konde kibou sukui-dase __**(Dig into the roots of memory and save that hope!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style leaps through a blue magic circle to her right, becoming Wizard Water Style, then leaps up through a green magic circle to become Hurricane Style, then drops down through a yellow magic circle to become Land Style.)

_Show Time!_

(Nayuki and Pharos reach for each other's hands and grab them.)

_Life is showtime! Tobikiri no __**(Life is Showtime! It's exhilerating!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style is seen falling through magic circles.)

_Unmei to RAIFU mucha shite mo __**(Even if you're reckless with fate and life!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style is riding Machine Winger down a road, as WizarDragon flies up alongside. Machine Winger and WizarDragon combine to form Winger WizarDragon, with Nayuki still riding.)

_Mo-to halelujah_

(Back with the close up on Nayuki and Pharos' hands, as Nayuki moves the Hope Ring towards Pharos' finger.)

_Kinou, kyou, ashita, mirai __**(Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, and in the future…)**_

(Nayuki, Minato, Yukari, and Mitsuru are in the Iwatodai dorm, each doing various things. Their positions switch two times, with each switch showing a new set of activities.)

_Subete no namida wo __**(…all those tears…)**_

(Nayuki is riding Machine Winger, Mitsuru riding behind her.)

_Show Time!_

(Nayuki finishes sliding the Hope Ring onto Pharos' finger, the ring beginning to light up.)

_Kouseki ni kaette yaruze __**(…I will change them into jewels!)**_

(Wizard's four main Styles come into view, Flame in the center, Water from the right, Hurricane from above, and Land from the left. The four pose identically as Water, Hurricane, and Land turn into light and merge with Flame.)

_Maji ka? Maji de? Maji da! Showtime! __**(**__**Seriously [it's magic]!? Really!? I'm serious! Show Time!**__**)**_

(Brief shot of Nayuki holding up her left hand with the Flame Style Ring on it, followed by Wizard Flame Style doing a brief spin and posing in front of Machine Winger, the story logo once again flaming into existence in the foreground.)

* * *

**Chapter 2: Why You Should Find a Proper Medic**

* * *

_**Thirty Minutes Later**_

* * *

"…and that about explains it," Yukari said, getting the attention of not just Akihiko, but of Mitsuru, too.

"So… you've been fighting these Phantoms for over a year now?" Akihiko asked. "That can't have been easy…"

Mitsuru agreed, but she was further aghast at the Black Sabbath Ritual that had been performed, the first one Nayuki had survived, which led to her becoming Wizard, and the second one she had been used for, but it had been stopped by an ally…

"It wasn't…" Nayuki replied. "But I had plenty of help…" She smiled as she remembered her friends and allies from the last adventure. "Wajima, who made most of my Rings… Rinko, the police detective who I saved from becoming a Phantom, who then decided to help me… Shunpei, the amateur magician who I think is now working as an apprentice to Wajima… Beast and Mage, my fellow Riders…" Her smile turned slightly sorrowful at the end. "…and… Koyomi…"

Mitsuru could tell from Nayuki's expression that her memories of Koyomi were somewhat bittersweet. "Was this Koyomi… special?" she asked.

Nayuki nodded. "She was…" she replied. "She could sense Phantoms more easily than I could, though I had to supply her with Magic every so often… And… and she was my first love…" She then pulled out the Hope Ring. "This… this is all I have left of her… after… after she…" Nayuki's eyes began to water with unshed tears.

Mitsuru and Yukari both reached over to Nayuki to help calm her down, even saying in sync, "There, there, let it out." It was at this time that Yukari noticed what she was doing, giving Mitsuru a glare in the process.

Nayuki started crying, burying her face in Mitsuru's shoulder as the tears fell from her eyes.

Yukari eventually got a look of realization on her face, as she turned to face Akihiko and asked, "Senpai, what about Minato-san? What are we supposed to do with him at this time?"

Akihiko's eyes widened slightly as he exclaimed, "Shoot! We have to get him to the hospital, and pronto!"

"You two take care of it," Mitsuru replied, Nayuki still seeming to cling to her. "I'll stay with Kinomoto for the moment."

Akihiko eyed Mitsuru with a calculating look for about five seconds, before closing his eyes and shaking his head, saying, "Alright, Mitsuru, your call." With that, he guided Yukari out of the room, intent on taking someone to help him get the unconscious youth to the Kirijo-run hospital.

After a few minutes, Nayuki's sobs slowly began to fade. "S… sorry about breaking down like that…" she said once she'd fully stopped crying and stopped clinging to Mitsuru. "It's just… it's only been a month, and it… still hurts to think about…"

Mitsuru nodded, understanding where she came from. "I know what it's like to lose a loved one," she said. "My mother passed away when I was younger, and it feels like my father is hardly there any longer, so…"

"I see…" Nayuki replied. "Th… thank you for understanding…" She paused for a moment. "Anyway, I'm assuming you're wanting to offer me your help in fighting the Shadows, or ask for my help as the case may be?"

Mitsuru nodded, saying, "The latter, actually. We're a bit shorthanded in the battle against the Shadows, so we'll need as many people to help us as possible."

It was at that time the butterfly that Nayuki saw before appeared from through the open window. "Huh? That's odd… where did that glowing blue butterfly come from?" Mitsuru asked out loud.

Nayuki turned to see it, recognizing it. "I saw it once before, just last night," she replied. "Guess that Philemon person has more to explain to me."

"Philemon?" Mitsuru asked.

"He's the one who apparently gave me access to my Persona," Nayuki replied, before offering her hand to Mitsuru. "Come on - if it's appearing to both of us, it's possible he wants to talk to both of us."

Before Mitsuru could accept her hand, however, both of them started feeling faint as they droopily closed their eyes.

* * *

_**Platform of the In-between**_

* * *

Mitsuru showed up on the platform across from Philemon alone, as he performed a bow in greeting to her. "Welcome," he said. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Philemon, a dweller between consciousness and unconsciousness. And now, a simple test. Can you state your name?"

"Mitsuru Kirijo," she answered. "Where did Kinomoto go? I thought she'd be here with me?"

"As she has already gone through this test, she won't need to be here until a little bit later," Philemon said. "Still, it is indeed splendid, in that you can remember your identity when in this domain. It seems you've passed that test. But tell me this; are you aware of the many and varied selves you harbor within you? The self suffused with divine love… the self capable of demonic cruelty. People live by wearing different masks. Your current self may be only one of those innumerable masks."

"I… see…" Mitsuru said after a moment. "I… hadn't thought about it that way before, but it does seem to make some sense…"

"Indeed," Philemon said. "Since you have a very firm grip on your identity, I would normally be inclined to give you something, but you already have it for the time being… the power of Persona."

"Y… yes, I do possess a Persona," Mitsuru replied. "But… what do you mean 'for the time being'?"

"Despair is a powerful weapon. It can only be countered by holding on to hope, whatever that might be," Philemon said in a cryptic manner. "However, when you retain your humanity, you will lose access to the Persona you have at present… unless you accept this gift I am about to give you."

She was somewhat confused as to his cryptic meaning, though the first bit did seem to connect to what Nayuki had said about Phantoms. "Well… I don't quite know what precisely you're talking about, but I'll accept your gift… I am somewhat curious as to what it is."

Philemon produced a blank card that looked like it could be a Tarot Card of the Empress Arcana and handed it to her. "Personas aren't usually summoned by means of an Evoker," he said. "This will be your key to summoning a Persona in the future, when you can't use your Evoker any longer."

Mitsuru took the card, which then dissolved into particles of light which seemed to be absorbed into her body.

It was at this time that Nayuki showed up again, looking around before she spotted Mitsuru and Philemon together.

"So… I take it you needed Mitsuru-senpai by herself, first?" She asked.

"Indeed, my friend," Philemon replied. "It is good that we meet again. Are you used to your Persona now?"

"A bit, yes," she replied. "I take it I won't have any more problems fighting Shadows now?"

"Correct," he answered. "Events are moving in an unexpected direction, even more so than they are supposed to be. It will be up to you and others like you to resolve the issues before the end of the school year, especially since a General is in your midst, and has hidden himself in plain sight for so long. He seeks to bring the death of humanity, while simultaneously creating more like him, which is tied into the ultimate fear of death humanity has."

Nayuki realized what he meant. "A Phantom…" she muttered. "There's another Phantom here? And his plans are that widespread?"

"Indeed," Philemon said. "However, he is also being manipulated by a being that desires to awaken humanity to the chaos in their hearts. You _must_ stop the Crawling Chaos before it can carry out its goals! It was initially going to wake up in three years time, but the arrival of a Wizard has caused it to start waking up early, something which was not meant to happen initially. Are there any questions?"

Nayuki looked somewhat shocked that she was supposedly the cause of this 'Crawling Chaos' waking up early, but figured that was why Philemon had 'recruited' her, since she would need to clean up the mess. "My main question at the moment," she began, "is: how? How did my arrival cause this being to awaken?"

"Your arrival caused it because of the sheer potential that you hold to eliminate the Chaos in the hearts of humanity, as this was made a place where chaos is due to show up," Philemon answered. "If you hadn't shown up at all, things would have been less chaotic overall, but the hearts of humanity would be filled with Chaos still." Turning to face Mitsuru, he asked, "Do you have any questions yourself?"

Mitsuru thought about it for a moment. "Nothing at the moment," she admitted, "but suppose we have questions in the future. How would we get in touch with you?"

"You can always find a way to find me in the form of the glowing blue butterfly," Philemon said. "Now, whatever path to the future you choose, remember that the choice was yours and no one else's."

With that, the vision of being with Philemon ended, prompting Nayuki and Mitsuru to return to reality.

* * *

_**Iwatodai, Kirijo Dorm**_

* * *

Nayuki and Mitsuru returned to reality at about the same time, in the same positions they were in when they had been whisked to Philemon's realm. "Well, that was definitely enlightening, in a semi-cryptic sort of way," Nayuki remarked.

"Indeed," Mitsuru said, nodding as she did so. "That could have gone worse just as easily as it could have gone better."

"Yeah," Nayuki agreed. "And, as to what we were talking about before he showed up… sure, I can give you guys a hand. I mean, not counting the fact that there is a Phantom running around, likely with a few other Phantom underlings, these Shadows do seem similar to Phantoms, from what I can tell."

"I see…" Mitsuru said, digesting the information she was given. "Well, that would be something we'll need to investigate as soon as possible."

"Right," Nayuki agreed. "First things first, though…"

"_**CONNECT, PLEASE!**_" called out the Hand Author as Nayuki brought her Connect Ring over it, opening a portal which Nayuki reached into, pulling out her backpack.

"I can check out of the hotel later," she remarked. "Got an empty room I can move into? Figure I might as well share your place of residence, if I'll be working with you."

Mitsuru looked a bit shocked, before she shook it off, nodded, and said, "Of course. You can find a few empty rooms on the third floor, where the girls are supposed to sleep."

"Thanks," Nayuki replied. "I'll need you to point me to which rooms are occupied and which aren't, then once I drop my stuff off we can swing by the hotel and get me checked out of there before going to the hospital to check on Minato-san."

Mitsuru nodded, saying, "Very well, I'll lead you to an empty room on the floor below." With that, they walked over to the third floor, before getting a room found.

* * *

_**Tatsumi Memorial Hospital - 2:30 AM, April 10, 2009**_

* * *

Picking out a room hadn't been too hard - they'd ended up going for the room next to Mitsuru's. Getting checked out of the hotel wasn't too hard, either - just a short drive from the Dorm, with Mitsuru riding on the back of Machine Winger, then dealing with a few items, and Nayuki was good to go there.

The drive to Tatsumi Memorial Hospital had taken the longest, since it was over on the island, just like Gekkoukan, and now Nayuki and Mitsuru were standing outside Minato's room with Yukari and Akihiko, talking to the doctor.

"So, physically, nothing seems to be wrong with him?" Mitsuru asked.

"Exactly, Kirijo-sama," the doctor answered. "However, whatever happened to him, it was meant to make him sleep a good while… and we don't know how to wake him up yet."

"Hmm… I guess all we can do is just wait for him to wake up…" Nayuki remarked. "We'll need someone to stay and keep an eye on him, though…"

"I'll do it, Nayuki-san," Yukari said, raising her hand. "I was there when he was fighting those Shadows, so I feel responsible for the whole mess."

Mitsuru nodded. "Alright, Takeba," she replied. "I'll see about forwarding your schoolwork to you here, and we can come up with a good cover story as to why you and Arisato are not in school, so it should work out."

With that, everyone that wasn't asleep or Yukari walked out of the area, leaving Yukari to enter the room and see how she'd sleep… wait, hold on, what's a butterfly doing in a room without open windows?

Walking over to the butterfly, which was floating in place next to Minato's bedside, she was about to escort it out the window when she noticed it was glowing a bright blue… and then she fell asleep standing upright.

* * *

_**Platform of the In-between**_

* * *

Yukari found herself standing on a platform standing across from Philemon, next to…

"Minato-san? What's going on here?" Yukari asked Minato.

"I have no clue, Yukari-san," Minato replied. "This is definitely a lot different than that Velvet Room place I was in a night or so ago."

"Velvet Room?" Yukari asked, wondering if she'd be able to understand what that was.

Before Minato could answer, Philemon said, "Welcome. It's a pleasure to meet you both in person. I am Philemon… a dweller between consciousness and unconsciousness. And now, a simple test; can you state your names?"

"Minato Arisato," Minato replied.

"Yukari Takeba," Yukari added.

Philemon nodded, saying, "Splendid. There aren't many who can remember their identity when in this domain. It seems you passed that test. But tell me this; are you aware of the many and varied selves you harbor within you? The self suffused with divine love, the self capable of demonic cruelty. People live by wearing different masks… your current self may be only one of those innumerable masks. You, though… Yukari Takeba, you have a firm grip on your identity. When the time comes, and you require the power I grant, you will be able to use your Persona in a greater way than now."

Yukari raised an eyebrow. "The power you grant?" she asked. "A 'greater way than now'? What do you mean?"

"I'm usually the one to grant the power of Persona, mainly to those who have firm grips on their identities," Philemon replied. "An example would be Minato Arisato, a Wild Card born with the power to hold a vast number of different Personas, even more so than a regular Wild Card."

Minato wondered if this was in some way connected to the Velvet Room, and asked, "Philemon-san, do you know a man with a nose about as long as his head is wide named Igor?"

"Indeed, Minato Arisato," Philemon answered. "He is my… subordinate, if you will, given the word choice of what he really is doesn't have much weight in today's society. What he is incapable of saying about your contract, which is for nobody's benefit if it's left unsaid, is that it's sapping you of your lifespan until the day you die in under a year's time."

Minato and Yukari's eyes both widened. "U-under a year?" Minato asked, incredulously. "Why can't Igor say anything about it?"

"Due to the nature of the contract, the source of this death is able to force those who give it to the one signing it to be unable to talk about it," Philemon said. "In short, Igor is unable to say anything because the very concept of Death, Nyx, herself, a very ancient entity far older than Igor is, had forbidden mention of it by anyone outside of she and myself. She wanted to be sealed, to prevent the untimely demise of Humanity, which would cause her to die by the end of January 2010."

"And… I was meant to be this… seal?" Minato asked, which caused Yukari's heart to clench for some reason she didn't know.

"At the time, it was deemed the most viable option, ten years ago," Philemon answered. "Not because of random selection, but because of what you currently have sealed within you, which is the reason why you were even given the contract to begin with."

Minato's eyes widened, as did Yukari's. "Wh… what do I have sealed inside of me?" he asked.

"You have the Greek God of Death, Thanatos, sealed within you… as well as the embodiment of a being who wants to usher the Death of Humanity in one fell swoop," Philemon said. "The Fall of Life _must_ be averted, otherwise Erebus will be able to aid a dark being's plans to destroy the World a second time."

At that point, Minato decided hearing any more might break his brain. "Alright…" he said. "So… if that was what had been planned, what changed?"

"What had changed was the arrival of the one known as Nayuki Kinomoto, a Kamen Rider who had been the piece of the puzzle that could paint a different picture of the whole," Philemon answered. "Her presence has derailed many of the plans that were made for the coming three years, even the plan started some ten years prior, when you were first affected by the Dark Hour. There are forces at work that would love to eliminate her to 'fix' the timeline, but the damage was already done, as things were bound to change."

Yukari nodded. She knew of what Wizard could do, and the fact that Wizard, aka Nayuki, was actually helping them out… it changed the ballgame entirely. "So… what now?" she asked.

"Now, you will need to fight to save humanity," Philemon answered. "The first step involved with that is to forcibly remove Erebus and Thanatos from Minato Arisato's mind, but, in the case of Thanatos, not from the sea of his soul. Only when that is completed will his lifespan be restored to full."

Minato nodded. "Alright," he said. "I definitely would like to live past this year - do it."

With a shake of his head, Philemon sadly said, "The process will take some time to start, time you do not yet have, given the state of reality. If someone like my rival were active, he'd be inclined to mess with Time and Space, but for worse purposes than to remove Erebus and Thanatos from their prison like that."

Before Minato could say anything, however, a vibrating sound was heard for what seemed to be about fifteen seconds… before it stopped all of a sudden.

"Hmm… it seems that there _is_ a way to give you the time to do what it is you need done," Philemon said.

"What is it?" Minato asked. "Can you tell me?"

"Indeed," Philemon said. "What it is, is a trip to an alternate reality that will seem to take a whole lot longer than it actually will. This trip is one that will give you the time you need, without your body aging longer than it will take for you to wake up."

"Hold up," Yukari replied. "I can see a problem here - if the time of the trip is from now to when Minato-san wakes up, won't he be noticed as missing from the hospital?"

"No, he won't be," Philemon said. "This is a trip for his _soul_ to take, not his physical body. While he is given the time to restore his lifespan, he will also have the chance to confront Erebus and Thanatos at the end of the journey, as well as the opportunity to fully use the full power of Thanatos as blessed by him by the time he comes back."

Yukari nodded, now realizing it. "Will he be the only one going?" she asked. "I… it was my hesitation that meant he had to summon a Persona in the first place, so I feel somewhat responsible for him."

"The fact that you asked and feel responsible is grounds to allow you to go with him, Yukari Takeba," Philemon said, nodding his head. "Now, hurry, if you don't go at this time, you won't be able to go ever. What will your choice be, both of you?"

"I'll do it," Minato said. "If this is the only way to ensure I live past this year, then I'll do it."

"I… I will go," Yukari said. "I will help him on his journey, as best I can."

"Very well," Philemon said, nodding. "I will grant you the means to have your power to summon a Persona back upon losing it, should you ever lose access to it, Yukari Takeba." With that, he handed her a blank Tarot Card of the Lovers Arcana, which vanished in a cloud of light particles into her very essence. "Do you have any questions about how you will be able to fight your foes?"

"Yeah, what about my Evoker?" Yukari asked. "Will I have access to it? …And Minato-san's going to need one, too, if he's going to be summoning Personas."

"When you first need to summon your Persona, you won't have an Evoker gun, but you will have the more universal way to summon a Persona," Philemon said. "Focus on the image of a Tarot Card in your hand, before you crush the card in it. That will be how both of you will summon Personas while away from your native reality."

Yukari nodded. "That… okay, I can do that," she said. "Any other advice?"

"Yes," Philemon replied. "Remember that despair is a powerful weapon, and the only counter that can repel it is hope."

"Right," Yukari and Minato said at the same time, before nodding as one.

"Good," Philemon said. "Now, the trip will seem long before you know what happened to put you there, but it's for good reason, Minato Arisato and Yukari Takeba… the soul can't live without a body to anchor it, which is why I'm going to give your souls anchors, ones that will be momentary at best."

With that, the two of them left their native reality via the Platform of In-between, their bodies sleeping for the time being.

* * *

**Xamusel: Well… this chapter ended on a different note than intended by Takeshi. We were going to be writing more Nayuki/Mitsuru bonding (Takeshi: If you hadn't guessed already, those two are our main pairing), but then I got the crazy idea to make it so that Minato and Yukari both head over to a different universe to fix the problem of Erebus and Thanatos stealing Minato's chance to live past the year 2010, the end of his school year to be exact. Then there was the fact that we basically derailed the canon plot of P3 by just writing this story, effectively putting an end to that story… or did we, now?**

**Now… you'll see the side-story soon enough, under the name of "AWiI: Foreign Saga", mainly because the story will take place in a universe that has problems with things called Gnosis. It will take place while Minato and Yukari are out of their native bodies… and any further is spoilerific.**

**See you all in either AWiI: Foreign Saga or here, whichever updates first!**


	4. Ch 3: Classes and a Messenger's Arrival

Disclaimer: Neither Takeshi Yamato nor Xamusel own Kamen Rider Wizard or Persona 3. We only own the idea from the plot, and some of the OCs.

**Takeshi Yamato: Hello, everyone!**

**Welcome to the third chapter of A Wizard in Iwatodai!**

**Nothing much to explain from the last chapter that hasn't been explained or isn't obvious already. This chapter, we see more development of the Nayuki/Mitsuru Pairing, learn a bit more about SEES-Type Persona Users as opposed to what I'm calling Philemon-Type, and we'll also show the return of Minato and Yukari… though they will have changed a fair bit as a result of their journey. Said journey is shown in Xamusel's side story for this thing, "A Wizard in Iwatodai: Foreign Saga Episode I - The Will to Power of Man's Personality". It's a fun story, so go take a look! :D**

**Now, let's see what fate has in store for the Wizard next! :D**

* * *

**A Wizard in Iwatodai**

Story by Takeshi Yamato, written by Takeshi Yamato and Xamusel

* * *

_**Gekkoukan High School, Classroom 2-F - 11:45 AM, April 10, 2009**_

* * *

Once again, school was rather uneventful - about the only thing that was really different from normal was Ms. Toriumi announcing the cover story given to her as to Minato and Yukari's absence (Minato had come down with the flu and Yukari, due to being the carrier of the illness, wanted to make it up to him by helping him get back to normal).

Currently, it was Lunchtime, and this was a second departure from 'normal':

Mitsuru had asked Nayuki to have lunch with her up on the rooftop.

"Given all the looks we got on our way up here, I'm assuming you don't ask many people to have lunch with you," Nayuki remarked.

"I don't really ask _anyone_ to have lunch with me, no," Mitsuru answered.

"I see," Nayuki replied. "Well, if I may ask… why did you make me the first recipient of this honor?"

"Well…" Mitsuru started, unsure of how to breach it. "Let's just say that you… intrigue me. I need some info on you, but I don't want to get second-hand info."

"So, you wanted to talk to me in private to learn about me, and this was the easiest way?" Nayuki asked, nodding. "That works - what did you want to know?"

"Well, for starters, I was wondering if you could explain a bit about your life before becoming Wizard," Mitsuru said.

Nayuki nodded. "I guess that can't hurt…" she began.

* * *

_The magic rings, the Wizard Rings._

(A red magic circle appears over a black background. Four lights appear at the main corners of the Circle, from which appear the Flame, Water, Hurricane, and Land Style Rings.)

_They shine on both hands of the modern mage._

(The Rings float in different directions, Water, Hurricane, and Land going off the screen as Flame lands on Nayuki's left middle finger as she appears silhouetted in front of the magic circle, Driver On Ring on her right middle finger)

_As she changes despair into hope._

(A close-up image of Nayuki's head and shoulders, still silhouetted, as the helmet and upper outfit of Wizard Flame Style super-impose themselves over her form.)

**(BGM: Life is SHOW TIME [TV Version])**

_Maji ka? Maji de? Maji da! Showtime! __**(**__**Seriously [it's magic]!? Really!? I'm serious! Show Time!**__**)**_

(Wizard Flame Style does a few spins in various positions relative to a red magic circle on a white background, before appearing on Winger WizarDragon, which flies off the screen before WizarDragon flies back onto the screen, lobbing a fireball from its mouth before the flash resolves into the title logo.)

_Maru de tsuki to taiyou __**(**__**It's like the shock**__**)**_

(Nayuki is seen standing atop the Iwatodai Dorms building, overlooking the whole town, before the scene shifts to a solar eclipse, then to Wizard Flame Style spinning to face her right, and finally to Nayuki spinning to face her left.)

_Kasanaru toki no shougeki __**(**__**When the moon and the sun collide!**__**)**_

(Nayuki stands in the middle of a crowded street, head down, before raising it somewhat to look at a boy in a style similar to that of a jailbird, who looks up to reveal Pharos.)

_Dare datte kiseki shinjite mitai __**(**__**Everyone wants to believe in a miracle**__**)**_

(Pharos lifts his right hand up, the back of it facing Nayuki, and the screen shifts to show them reaching for each other's hand, before it shows them walking across the street to each other, Mitsuru appearing on Pharos' side, Minato showing up on Nayuki's side.)

_Kitto hitotsu you_ _fukaketsu no ENAJI_ _kokoro no da ne __**(The indispensable energy that people need comes from the heart)**_

(The background shatters, before Mitsuru drives up on her own motorcycle, pulling off her helmet before brandishing her rapier and Evoker. Minato then appears, a silhouetted image of Thanatos behind him. Pharos and Nayuki appear in front of a Velvet Doorway.)

_Yume to yosou ii imi de uragitte kureru mono __**(Dreams and expectations will betray you in a good way)**_

(Yukari Takeba is seen looking through a tome of magic, while a magic ball shows Nayuki transforming into Kamen Rider Wizard, the ball being held by Pharos.)

_3! 21! 1! Showtime!_

(The scene shows Pharos' immediate area glowing in light.)

_Magic Time!_

(Wizard Flame Style is seen in front of a building, jumping and spinning in place.)

_TRICK ja nai! __**(It's no trick!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style lands on the ground, lifting her right hand to her mask, before lowering her arm.)

_Mahou HIIRO hanpa nee ze __**(The Magic Hero is no pushover!)**_

(A red magic circle appears under her feet, with three separate magic circles, red, blue, and yellow, underneath the Red Garuda, Blue Unicorn, and Yellow Kraken PlaMonsters respectively, before Wizard Flame Style spins around and sends her familiars out.)

_Mo-to halelujah_

(Wizard Flame Style crushes a card in her hand, as Tsukuyomi appears behind her.)

_Kioku no roots moguri-konde kibou sukui-dase __**(Dig into the roots of memory and save that hope!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style leaps through a blue magic circle to her right, becoming Wizard Water Style, then leaps up through a green magic circle to become Hurricane Style, then drops down through a yellow magic circle to become Land Style.)

_Show Time!_

(Nayuki and Pharos reach for each other's hands and grab them.)

_Life is showtime! Tobikiri no __**(Life is Showtime! It's exhilerating!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style is seen falling through magic circles.)

_Unmei to RAIFU mucha shite mo __**(Even if you're reckless with fate and life!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style is riding Machine Winger down a road, as WizarDragon flies up alongside. Machine Winger and WizarDragon combine to form Winger WizarDragon, with Nayuki still riding.)

_Mo-to halelujah_

(Back with the close up on Nayuki and Pharos' hands, as Nayuki moves the Hope Ring towards Pharos' finger.)

_Kinou, kyou, ashita, mirai __**(Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, and in the future…)**_

(Nayuki, Minato, Yukari, and Mitsuru are in the Iwatodai dorm, each doing various things. Their positions switch two times, with each switch showing a new set of activities.)

_Subete no namida wo __**(…all those tears…)**_

(Nayuki is riding Machine Winger, Mitsuru riding behind her.)

_Show Time!_

(Nayuki finishes sliding the Hope Ring onto Pharos' finger, the ring beginning to light up.)

_Kouseki ni kaette yaruze __**(…I will change them into jewels!)**_

(Wizard's four main Styles come into view, Flame in the center, Water from the right, Hurricane from above, and Land from the left. The four pose identically as Water, Hurricane, and Land turn into light and merge with Flame.)

_Maji ka? Maji de? Maji da! Showtime! __**(**__**Seriously [it's magic]!? Really!? I'm serious! Show Time!**__**)**_

(Brief shot of Nayuki holding up her left hand with the Flame Style Ring on it, followed by Wizard Flame Style doing a brief spin and posing in front of Machine Winger, the story logo once again flaming into existence in the foreground.)

* * *

**Chapter 3: Classes and the Arrival of a Messenger**

* * *

_**Gekkoukan High School, Classroom 2-F - Afternoon**_

* * *

After that discussion with Mitsuru, Nayuki had returned to classes - and currently the teacher was Mr. Ekoda.

She could _swear_ his voice had hypnotic properties, as she was trying to fight to stay awake.

She was definitely not the only one fighting to stay awake, but she _was_ the only one who hadn't lost the fight just yet. Just when she was about to fall asleep…

…the bell rang.

"Phew," she sighed. "That's one advantage to home-schooling - no boring teachers." She then looked over at Junpei, across from Minato's empty seat. "Hey, Junpei-san, Ekoda-sensei's class is over."

"*snrk* Who? What? Where?" Junpei called out when he woke up because of Nayuki.

"Class just ended, Junpei-san," Nayuki repeated.

"Oh… Whew, good!" Junpei replied. "Ekoda-sensei doesn't know how _bad_ his voice is, ever!"

"I know," Nayuki remarked. "I swear, his voice is hypnotic when he lectures…"

"Heh… wait until you see his homeroom!" Junpei said. "_They_ got it even worse!"

Nayuki winced. "Ouch," she remarked. "Well, one more class, then we can go home."

"Eh, don't worry," Junpei said. "Toriumi-sensei is able to keep us awake for the last few minutes of the day. There's the homeroom in each class at both ends of the day… we got it lucky compared to 2-E, Ekoda-sensei's class, in that regard."

"Yeah," she replied.

It was at that time that Ms. Toriumi returned to class, getting everyone who was standing to return to their seats. "Alright, everyone, status update," Ms. Toriumi said to the class. "It seems that both Minato Arisato _and_ Yukari Takeba are staying in the hospital as patients… please understand that this wasn't expected on any account."

Nayuki's eyes widened. She knew that Yukari had stayed in the hospital to watch over Minato, but for her to be a _patient_ now? She'd have to ask Mitsuru for the details.

Nayuki's shock didn't go unnoticed by Junpei, though. "Hey, Nayuki-san, do you know what's going on?"

"I… I knew that Minato-san was in the hospital…" Nayuki replied. "I can't mention specifics, but Yukari felt responsible and wanted to watch over him… The fact that she's now a patient as well…"

With a low whistle, Junpei said, "Damn… Yuka-tan in the mess that she felt responsible for? I didn't know that could happen."

"Well, it happened," Nayuki remarked. "I just hope they're both alright…"

"Kinomoto."

Nayuki looked up as Mitsuru walked up. "You got the news as well, Senpai?" Nayuki asked.

Mitsuru nodded. "Come - we'll go to the hospital and find out what's going on."

Clearing her throat, Ms. Toriumi said, "At least wait until classes are over, Mitsuru-san. Just because you aren't my student any longer, doesn't mean you can ignore teacher directives, and go wandering willy-nilly."

Mitsuru blinked, before nodding. "Very well, Toriumi-sensei," she replied.

* * *

_**Tatsumi Memorial Hospital - After School**_

* * *

Mitsuru, Nayuki, and Akihiko all stood outside Minato's room in the hospital, though now Yukari was residing in a second bed in the same room. "Do we know what happened, Doctor?" Mitsuru asked the doctor.

"Not clearly enough, Kirijo-sama," the doctor answered. "What we have gleaned from the security cameras is that she entered the room, walked to the side of the bed closest to the door, and paused when she was about to move her arm upwards for whatever reason. We don't know what caused her to do so, but, it's fairly safe to say that she fell asleep standing upright… unless you count what her condition is now."

"And she hasn't woken up since?" Nayuki asked. "Weird…"

"It gets worse," the doctor said, getting their attention. "Apart from slight breathing, both patients seem to be, well… dead to the world around them."

"They don't respond to stimuli at all?" Mitsuru asked.

"None, exactly," the doctor replied. "I don't know what to make of it, but the two of them are currently in comas, only _very_ slightly aware of the world around them. They can still eat food and drink fluids, but that can only be done by doctor guidance, unfortunately."

Nayuki's eyes narrowed. "Something's going on here… I'm not sure what, but this is unnatural, even with what I deal with."

Mitsuru nodded. "Keep an eye on them for us, Doctor," she said. "Let us know if they wake up."

"That's _when_ they wake up, Mitsuru," Akihiko countered to his friend. Seeing the looks his way, he said, "I believe in their ability to wake up on their own."

"Hang onto that hope, Akihiko-senpai," Nayuki remarked. "Hope is about the only thing we can do that can help them right now… and I agree with it. They will wake up - it's just a matter of when."

The doctor nodded, saying, "Understood, Kirijo-sama, Sanada-san. I'll keep an eye on them and inform you when they wake up."

"Thank you, Doctor," Mitsuru replied. "We'll leave you to it." The three then turned and left the hospital.

* * *

_**Paulownia Mall - Dark Hour (Between April 13th and 14th)**_

* * *

Aside from the new situation with Yukari and Minato both in comas, things were still normal to a fair degree. School went by well enough, though Mitsuru inviting Nayuki to eat with her on the roof at lunchtime seemed to be an increasingly common occurrence. Each time, either Mitsuru had asked Nayuki to share another detail about herself, or she shared something about herself to Nayuki, instead.

That said, the situation with the Shadows wasn't going away - so on the third Dark Hour after Nayuki had joined SEES, she and Akihiko had gone on a patrol to the Paulownia Mall area.

Nayuki looked around the Mall's immediate area, Akihiko following her, before she asked, "Do you know what could possibly be causing this mess, senpai?"

"I'd say either Shadows… or someone else is experiencing the Dark Hour," Akihiko remarked. "Possibly both, but let's hope not."

Before Nayuki could ask anything more, a cry of terror was heard, especially as a pair of Cowardly Mayas moved over to the courtyard of the Mall… followed by a group of creatures Nayuki never thought she'd see again.

"Shit! Ghouls!" she cursed.

"Those were what you and Yukari mentioned three nights ago, right?" Akihiko asked. "Minions for Phantoms?"

"Yeah… and if they're here, then there's a Phantom, too - and a Gate!" Nayuki informed, donning her Connect Ring.

"_**CONNECT, PLEASE!**_" the Hand Author called out as a Magic Circle appeared before her - she reached in, and pulled out the WizarSwordGun, firing Silver Bullets at the Ghouls and Cowardly Mayas as she and Akihiko charged.

"_Sonic Punch!_" Akihiko cried out as he shot himself with his Evoker, causing Polydeuces to punch one of the Shadows, which, combined with the Silver Bullet that hit it, destroyed it.

Nayuki switched the WizarSwordGun to Sword Mode as she continued charging, slicing through the Ghouls and Shadow in her way as she charged, intent on reaching the Gate before anything bad happened.

As it turned out…

"S-s-someone! Help me! Please!" came a familiar voice.

"That voice… Junpei-san?" Nayuki asked herself while continuing to fight the Ghouls and the Shadow.

Akihiko blasted the remaining Shadow with another Sonic Punch, finishing it. "Nayuki-san, I'll handle these guys!" He said as he let loose a Zio on one of the Ghouls. "Go get to Junpei-san!"

Nayuki nodded. "Right," she said. "Be careful, Akihiko-senpai!" She then ran further in, slashing at any Ghouls that tried to get into her path.

By the time she got to Junpei, Nayuki saw that there was a Phantom in between them, holding him in a grip at his throat. "Oh, no you _don't_!" she shouted at the Phantom, getting its' attention.

The Phantom, apparently based on a Cerberus, turned just in time for her to slash at its arm, forcing it to release its grip on Junpei. "I don't know who you are, or how you could hurt me," the Cerberus Phantom remarked. "But you will make a powerful Phantom when I drive you to despair!"

"Not gonna happen," she growled, stabbing the WizarSwordGun into the ground to free both hands, as she donned the Flame Style Ring on her left hand and switched the Connect Ring on her right hand for the Driver On Ring.

"_**DRIVER ON, PLEASE!**_" The WizarDriver called out as it fully materialized.

"No way," the Phantom remarked, shocked. "A Mahoutsukai?"

Nayuki switched the Driver's input to the Left Hand. "_**SHABADOOBIE TOUCH TO HENSHIN! SHABADOOBIE TOUCH TO HENSHIN! SHABADOOBIE TOUCH TO HENSHIN!**_" the Driver called out.

"Henshin!" Nayuki called out in response, as she brought the Flame Style Ring over the Driver.

"_**FLAME, PLEASE! HII! HII! HII, HII, HII!**_" the Driver called, as she donned her Flame Style battle suit.

"No… way…" Junpei breathed out. "A Kamen Rider…"

"Eh?" the Phantom questioned Junpei, looking in his direction, which proved to be a big mistake. Wizard Flame Style took the opportunity to charge a spell with the WizarSwordGun, bringing her Flame Style Ring over the Hand Author on the WizarSwordGun.

"_**FLAME! SLASH STRIKE! HII HII HII! HII HII HII! HII HII HII!**_" The WizarSwordGun chanted as the blade was wreathed in flames, Nayuki letting out a battlecry as she slashed the blade across the Phantom.

"AUGH!" the Phantom cried out. "Why, you… wait, I'm supposed to be _immune_ to flames! What happened?!"

"I guess my Flames were too strong for you," Wizard remarked. "Still…" she switched her Flame Style Ring out for the Water Style Ring. "If you are resistant to flames, might as well go for flame's natural counter." She switched the Driver to Right Hand input and immediately back to Left Hand input, as she placed the Water Style Ring over the Driver.

"_**WATER, PLEASE!**_" the Driver called out as she raised her hand above her, a blue Magic Circle appearing above her. "_**SUI-SUI! SUI-SUI!**_" the Driver continued as the Magic Circle descended, changing her outfit. The motif on the front of her overcoat had changed to diamond shapes, what was red was now blue, and her helmet visor had changed to look like a blue diamond, again with silver trim marking the eye-pieces and the same Gundam-like Head Crest.

She had changed from Flame Style to Water Style.

"_Damn_ you, Mahoutsukai!" the Phantom roared. "I, Cerberus, will _not_ be defeated that easily!"

"That's what they all say," she replied. "Saa, finale da," she continued as she opened the WizarSwordGun's Hand Author and ran the Water Style Ring over it.

"_**WATER! SLASH STRIKE! SUI SUI SUI! SUI SUI SUI! SUI SUI SUI!**_" The WizarSwordGun chanted as water coated the blade, and she then slashed, sending out a shockwave of water that hit the Cerberus Phantom dead-center.

"NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" the Phantom cried out, before it was obliterated in a magnificent watery explosion.

"Whew," Nayuki sighed, in a bit of relief, before she canceled her transformation and returned to her regular garb. "You alright, Junpei-san?"

"Uh, yeah… wait, you mean to say _you're_ Kamen Rider Wizard?!" Junpei asked incredulously.

"Yeah…" she replied, rubbing the back of her head. "I take it you've heard of my exploits in fighting Phantoms over the past year?"

"Hell yeah, I have!" Junpei yelled in joy, before remembering that he was being targeted. "So… why am I being targeted by Phantoms, Ghouls, and those other things?"

"Well, for the Phantoms and Ghouls, I hate to say it, but you're most likely a Gate, Junpei-san," she replied. "That Phantom was trying to drive you to despair, so it could make a new Phantom, killing you in the process."

"As for the Shadows," Akihiko spoke up, getting Junpei's attention. "Normally, those that have the Potential aren't targeted by them, but… perhaps the Phantoms are able to override that particular nature."

"We'll likely need to have him tested," Nayuki remarked. "And you'll need to be careful as well, Akihiko-senpai… it's very possible that those with the Potential… are also Gates."

"Right," Akihiko said with a nod. Turning to face Junpei, he said, "Well, we'd better get you over to the Dorm for the time being. We'll test you out and see how this will affect things."

"Uh, right," Junpei replied, getting to his feet. "Well, let's get going… might be good if you explained things along the way."

* * *

_**Tatsumi Memorial Hospital - 9:00 AM, April 17, 2009**_

* * *

Nayuki walked into the room of Minato and Yukari, hoping to see that they'd woken up, only to find that they hadn't yet.

She went over to a chair, sitting down and looking at their slumbering forms.

'_Yukari-san… Minato-san…_' she thought. '_I hope you two are alright, whatever is happening to you…_'

At that moment, there was a glow surrounding both Yukari and Minato, giving the appearance of souls returning to their native bodies. While this caused Nayuki to blink in surprise, she almost missed the appearance of a Driver on Yukari's waist from under the sheets, caused by an indent under the sheets… yeah. She didn't miss it.

'_What in the world?_' she thought, even as their eyes began to flutter open.

Minato opened his eyes first, taking in the sight of Nayuki sitting down in front of them both, before saying, "Morning… what time is it?"

"Nine in the morning," she replied. "On April 17th. Glad to see you finally came to… you had us all worried, Minato-san - you and Yukari-san."

Blinking in surprise, Minato asked, "Has it really been _that_ short?"

Nayuki blinked at that. "Umm… okay, something tells me you have a story to tell… we'll need to swap notes as soon as you two are cleared to go back to the Dorm."

Yukari's eyes fully opened at this time, giving off a yawn and asking, "What time is it?"

"Nine in the morning on April 17th, Yukari," Minato said, turning his head to face Yukari's.

"That early? Damn…" Yukari said.

Nayuki's eyes widened. "Wait… you're being rude, you realize that, right, Minato-san?" she asked Minato.

"Not really, considering what we went through," he replied, turning to face Nayuki.

Nayuki blinked again. "So, if you're not being rude, then you two must have gotten pretty dang close…" she remarked. "Definitely a bit of a story to tell."

"You can say that," Minato and Yukari said in unison, before blinking and looking at each other from their beds.

"Even talking in perfect sync…" Nayuki muttered. "What, did you two become lovers or something?"

"Yep."

Nayuki blinked again. "OK, I'll let the others know you're up, and once we get you back to the Dorm, we are _definitely_ swapping notes." She stood up, and headed out of the room.

Yukari took a bit to ask, "So… you saw Igor, right?"

Minato nodded. "He's not really happy that it's taken me this long to speak with him, but he understands, Yukari."

Yukari smiled. "That's good," she said. "I hope to meet him myself sometime… and I'm glad you'll be able to survive for longer than a year now… I love you, Minato…"

"I love you, too, Yukari," Minato said in reply.

Yukari carefully eased her way out of the bed, and walked over to Minato's, where she gave him a kiss.

* * *

_**Iwatodai Dorms - Later that Night**_

* * *

Nayuki was walking about in front of the door to outside the dorm, wondering when Minato and Yukari would show up. It was indeed a while longer than she'd thought was possible, but… '_Where _are_ they?!_' she thought.

"Sorry we're a bit late!" Yukari called out.

Nayuki could finally see the pair walking up, and saw that Yukari was indeed wearing a Driver like hers… only it had pink trim around the Hand Author while the WizarDriver's was gold. There was a chain holding Rings hanging off the left-hand side of her belt, just like Nayuki's.

She could also see that Yukari and Minato were holding hands, and could definitely see the bond between them, where there wasn't any before.

"Good to see you," she remarked. "Out of curiosity, what kept you, though?"

"Dinner at a restaurant that wasn't a fast-food joint, for one thing," Minato answered. "Besides which, we needed to be cleared by the doctors, and that was a lengthy process for some reason."

"Ah," Nayuki replied. "Well, come on in - Mitsuru-senpai and Akihiko-senpai are waiting in the lounge… along with a new addition to the Dorm."

"A new addition?" Yukari asked Nayuki. "Who could it be?"

"You'll find out soon enough," Nayuki replied.

The three walked into the Dorm, where Mitsuru, Akihiko, and Junpei were waiting for them. "Welcome back, you two," Mitsuru remarked. "It's good to see you up."

"Hey, dudes!" Junpei called out.

"What th— _JUNPEI_?!" Yukari cried out in surprise. "What are _you_ doing here?!"

"He has the Potential," Akihiko replied, "but only awakened to it recently."

"It's also partially for his safety," Nayuki added. "He's a Gate… and I think everyone with the Potential is likely a Gate, as well."

"Even us?" Minato asked. "I mean, Yukari's no longer using that Potential to use a Persona, and I'm not sure of my status any longer."

"So, that belt isn't just for show, Yukari-san?" Nayuki asked. "If you're not using it for a Persona anymore, does that mean you can use Magic?"

"Right," Yukari said. "That doesn't mean I'm incapable of using a Persona, though."

"Huh?" Junpei asked, shocked. "But, if you're not using the Potential for it… then how?"

"I think I know," Nayuki remarked. "Man in a white tuxedo with a butterfly mask, goes by Philemon, right?"

Yukari nodded. "That's right, Nayuki-san, it was indeed Philemon."

Nayuki nodded. "Figured," she replied. "He was the one who gave me my Persona…"

"Wait, seriously?!" Junpei asked, incredulously.

"Yep," Nayuki said, nodding.

"Well," Mitsuru remarked, "We can either continue this discussion in the Command Room, or we could get some rest, seeing how late it is, and continue after school tomorrow. Which would you all rather prefer?"

"After school tomorrow, senpai," Yukari and Minato answered as one… causing everyone else (except Nayuki) to blink in surprise.

"Whoa…" Junpei breathed. "Are they talking in sync?"

"And look at their hands," Mitsuru replied, having noticed that they were still holding hands. "It seems something happened while they were out, but that seems rather unusual in such a short time…"

"Believe me, Mitsuru-senpai," Nayuki said, getting their attention. "They seem to have been gone longer than the week, which is normally impossible… unless you account for how they woke up."

"I see…" Mitsuru replied. "Well, we can wait until tomorrow to hear the full story… we didn't touch your rooms, so they should be the way you left them a week ago."

"Actually, Mitsuru-senpai, Minato and I would rather have a room together, instead of separate rooms," Yukari requested.

Mitsuru blinked, realizing just _how_ close Yukari and Minato had gotten, before nodding. "Very well," she replied. "I'll let you decide if you want to share your room or Arisato's room… and whichever you decide, I'll make an extra key to that room for you, so you both have one."

"Thank you, Mitsuru-senpai," Minato said. "We'll decide before bedtime."

"You're welcome," Mitsuru replied. "And again, welcome back."

* * *

**Xamusel: Well, this is indeed a nice development… and it was indeed planned out to be this way, by the time the Side Story is done (in chronological order). Eventually, though, things will go down the crapper… how will things get resolved?**

**Also, we still need reviews, people. Not just for here, but for the side story, which I feel is appropriate to read if you want to know more on the situation of Minato and Yukari.**

**Anyway… we'll see you later!**


	5. Ch 4: Going Up?

Disclaimer: Neither Takeshi Yamato nor Xamusel own Kamen Rider Wizard or Persona 3. We only own the idea from the plot, and some of the OCs.

**Takeshi Yamato: Hello, everyone!**

**Welcome to the fourth chapter of A Wizard in Iwatodai!**

**Yes, Junpei joined SEES before Minato and Yukari woke up. I figure, since they found him in the Dark Hour between 4/13 and 4/14, that gives them three days to test him out, and invite him to the group.**

**Anyway, in this chap, we feature the Note Swap, and then the first Tartarus run. Time to see Yukari in action as a Rider, as well as how well not one, but **_**two**_** riders do in Tartarus, along with a Wild Card. We also have some more Mitsuru/Nayuki for you all.**

**Now, let's see what fate has in store for the Wizard next! :D**

* * *

**A Wizard in Iwatodai**

Story by Takeshi Yamato, written by Takeshi Yamato and Xamusel

* * *

_**Gekkoukan High School - Early Morning, April 18th, 2009**_

* * *

When Minato and Yukari walked to school together that morning, they were holding hands, causing everyone who didn't live in the dorm to wonder what happened to cause that to occur. In fact, the rumor mill was going crazy at the time, causing some pretty wild rumors to appear over the course of the first half-hour of school.

"You know you two are the talk of the school, right?" Nayuki said to them. "I can't believe how many different rumors I've heard over the past half-hour regarding you two…"

"Be quiet, please, Nayuki-san," they irritably said in sync. "We're not in the mood for being reminded of the rumors."

"Yeah… some of them can be pretty far off, I bet," Junpei said, having spent time with them getting Minato's things ready to move into Yukari's room.

"Too bad you can't just go over the PA and debunk the rumors," Nayuki remarked. "I mean, not only would it be pretty unbelievable to most people, I'd imagine the faculty wouldn't like you hijacking the PA like that."

"Besides, the truth can be pretty far out there, in comparison to some of the rumors," Minato supplied, getting the attention of the other two from the dorm.

"Wait… you'll tell us the truth later, right?" Junpei asked, hoping for a good answer from this.

"Tonight," Yukari remarked. "We'll definitely tell you everything, but we'll need to wait for tonight… though trust me when I say that the truth is _much_ stranger than fiction."

"We'll hold you to that, Yuka-tan," Junpei said.

"Could you please call me 'Yukari-san' in the future, Junpei-san?" Yukari asked.

"Huh?!"

* * *

_The magic rings, the Wizard Rings._

(A red magic circle appears over a black background. Four lights appear at the main corners of the Circle, from which appear the Flame, Water, Hurricane, and Land Style Rings.)

_They shine on both hands of the modern mage._

(The Rings float in different directions, Water, Hurricane, and Land going off the screen as Flame lands on Nayuki's left middle finger as she appears silhouetted in front of the magic circle, Driver On Ring on her right middle finger)

_As she changes despair into hope._

(A close-up image of Nayuki's head and shoulders, still silhouetted, as the helmet and upper outfit of Wizard Flame Style super-impose themselves over her form.)

**(BGM: Life is SHOW TIME [TV Version])**

_Maji ka? Maji de? Maji da! Showtime! __**(**__**Seriously [it's magic]!? Really!? I'm serious! Show Time!**__**)**_

(Wizard Flame Style does a few spins in various positions relative to a red magic circle on a white background, before appearing on Winger WizarDragon, which flies off the screen before WizarDragon flies back onto the screen, lobbing a fireball from its mouth before the flash resolves into the title logo.)

_Maru de tsuki to taiyou __**(**__**It's like the shock**__**)**_

(Nayuki is seen standing atop the Iwatodai Dorms building, overlooking the whole town, before the scene shifts to a solar eclipse, then to Wizard Flame Style spinning to face her right, and finally to Nayuki spinning to face her left.)

_Kasanaru toki no shougeki __**(**__**When the moon and the sun collide!**__**)**_

(Nayuki stands in the middle of a crowded street, head down, before raising it somewhat to look at a boy in a style similar to that of a jailbird, who looks up to reveal Pharos.)

_Dare datte kiseki shinjite mitai __**(**__**Everyone wants to believe in a miracle**__**)**_

(Pharos lifts his right hand up, the back of it facing Nayuki, and the screen shifts to show them reaching for each other's hand, before it shows them walking across the street to each other, Mitsuru appearing on Pharos' side, Minato showing up on Nayuki's side.)

_Kitto hitotsu you_ _fukaketsu no ENAJI_ _kokoro no da ne __**(The indispensable energy that people need comes from the heart)**_

(The background shatters, before Mitsuru drives up on her own motorcycle, pulling off her helmet before brandishing her rapier and Evoker. Minato then appears, a silhouetted image of Thanatos behind him. Pharos and Nayuki appear in front of a Velvet Doorway.)

_Yume to yosou ii imi de uragitte kureru mono __**(Dreams and expectations will betray you in a good way)**_

(Yukari Takeba is seen looking through a tome of magic, while a magic ball shows Nayuki transforming into Kamen Rider Wizard, the ball being held by Pharos.)

_3! 21! 1! Showtime!_

(The scene shows Pharos' immediate area glowing in light.)

_Magic Time!_

(Wizard Flame Style is seen in front of a building, jumping and spinning in place.)

_TRICK ja nai! __**(It's no trick!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style lands on the ground, lifting her right hand to her mask, before lowering her arm.)

_Mahou HIIRO hanpa nee ze __**(The Magic Hero is no pushover!)**_

(A red magic circle appears under her feet, with three separate magic circles, red, blue, and yellow, underneath the Red Garuda, Blue Unicorn, and Yellow Kraken PlaMonsters respectively, before Wizard Flame Style spins around and sends her familiars out.)

_Mo-to halelujah_

(Wizard Flame Style crushes a card in her hand, as Tsukuyomi appears behind her.)

_Kioku no roots moguri-konde kibou sukui-dase __**(Dig into the roots of memory and save that hope!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style leaps through a blue magic circle to her right, becoming Wizard Water Style, then leaps up through a green magic circle to become Hurricane Style, then drops down through a yellow magic circle to become Land Style.)

_Show Time!_

(Nayuki and Pharos reach for each other's hands and grab them.)

_Life is showtime! Tobikiri no __**(Life is Showtime! It's exhilerating!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style is seen falling through magic circles.)

_Unmei to RAIFU mucha shite mo __**(Even if you're reckless with fate and life!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style is riding Machine Winger down a road, as WizarDragon flies up alongside. Machine Winger and WizarDragon combine to form Winger WizarDragon, with Nayuki still riding.)

_Mo-to halelujah_

(Back with the close up on Nayuki and Pharos' hands, as Nayuki moves the Hope Ring towards Pharos' finger.)

_Kinou, kyou, ashita, mirai __**(Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, and in the future…)**_

(Nayuki, Minato, Yukari, and Mitsuru are in the Iwatodai dorm, each doing various things. Their positions switch two times, with each switch showing a new set of activities.)

_Subete no namida wo __**(…all those tears…)**_

(Nayuki is riding Machine Winger, Mitsuru riding behind her.)

_Show Time!_

(Nayuki finishes sliding the Hope Ring onto Pharos' finger, the ring beginning to light up.)

_Kouseki ni kaette yaruze __**(…I will change them into jewels!)**_

(Wizard's four main Styles come into view, Flame in the center, Water from the right, Hurricane from above, and Land from the left. The four pose identically as Water, Hurricane, and Land turn into light and merge with Flame.)

_Maji ka? Maji de? Maji da! Showtime! __**(**__**Seriously [it's magic]!? Really!? I'm serious! Show Time!**__**)**_

(Brief shot of Nayuki holding up her left hand with the Flame Style Ring on it, followed by Wizard Flame Style doing a brief spin and posing in front of Machine Winger, the story logo once again flaming into existence in the foreground.)

* * *

**Chapter 4: Going Up?**

* * *

_**Kirijo Dorm, 4th-Floor Command Room - Evening, April 18th, 2009**_

* * *

School had gone normally aside from all the rumors, and now everyone who lived in the Dorm was in the Command Room on the fourth floor. Ikutsuki would likely have been there, as well, but he'd said he'd been too busy to be there in person, and the vid phone link was unreliable enough that he likely would only have heard part of it.

"So… now that we know more on the situation," Akihiko said, "we should prepare for more meetings with this Philemon character."

"Yeah," Nayuki remarked. "Keep on the lookout for glowing blue butterflies - if one shows up, Philemon likely wants to talk to you." She then turned to Yukari and Minato. "Still a bit hard to believe that he sent you two to another universe for over a year while your bodies slept in this one for a week… Then again, as you said, truth is stranger than fiction."

"Plus," Minato said, getting the attention of those gathered. "Yukari and I became parents over there… to twins."

A moment of silence, and—

"Are you _shitting_ us?!" Junpei roared.

"Nope," Yukari answered, shaking her head at the same time.

"Jeez," Nayuki remarked. "What, should we book a church or shrine for you, and send you shopping for wedding rings?"

"That…" Minato started to say, only to pause in mid-sentence. "…might not be such a bad idea. It sounds doable, right, Yukari?"

"Yes, indeed, Minato," Yukari answered.

Nayuki sighed. She'd intended that as a bit of a snark, but… oh well. "What do you think, Mitsuru-senpai?" she asked Mitsuru. "Know any good places for that?"

"Not off the top of my head, no," Mitsuru answered. "However…"

"_What am I missing out on?"_ Ikutsuki asked from the vid phone link.

Turning to face the phone, Akihiko said, "Nothing important. We're just getting to the recruiting process now."

Minato's eyes blinked a bit, before asking, "Recruiting process?"

"We want you to officially join us," Mitsuru replied. "You know about the Shadows, and how much of a threat they are, and the Phantoms are likely going to be a threat as well."

"Where there's one there's usually more," Nayuki agreed, "either other Phantoms they've made, or, if a group were made all at once, they might work together to increase the productivity of their efforts."

"We need all the help we can get, Minato-san," Mitsuru replied. "Please, lend us your strength."

Minato took a bit to think about it, before saying, "Alright. I'll do it."

"Welcome aboard, Minato," Yukari said, before kissing him.

Minato returned the kiss, and was about to perform a literal tongue-twister—

"This is _not_ the time to give us a show, you two," Akihiko reprimanded them.

—when they were reminded of their situation.

"S… sorry…" Yukari replied as they parted, blushing fiercely.

"…Anyway, now that that's settled, what do we do next?" Nayuki asked. "Do we keep going on patrols?"

"Now? Now we can get to explore _that_ place," Akihiko answered.

"'That place'?" Minato asked.

"Tartarus," Mitsuru replied. "It only appears during the Dark Hour."

"'Tartarus'? What's that? Sounds like toothpaste," Junpei commented, not having heard this part of the explanation.

"You can think of it as a Shadow Nest," Akihiko remarked. "And it's the perfect place for us to train."

"Oh? How do we train in this 'Shadow Nest', senpai?" Minato asked, intrigued.

"We head over there before the Dark Hour, and enter once the time starts," Mitsuru answered.

"So…" Junpei started. "Where's Tartarus?"

* * *

_**Gekkoukan High Front Gate - 11:59 PM, April 18th, 2009**_

* * *

"This is it?" Junpei asked, as they waited outside the front gate. "_This_ is the place?"

"Just give it a bit of time, Junpei-san," Akihiko answered, holding his cellphone out to see the time. "It's almost midnight, anyway."

In a few seconds, the clock switched to midnight, and the Dark Hour started. Almost immediately, a rumbling could be heard as the school… warped.

In less than a minute, the school had changed into a massive tower that stretched into the heavens - high enough that Nayuki lost sight of it in the clouds.

"…what?" Minato, Yukari, Nayuki and Junpei all asked as one in deadpan.

"Just like the old tower of long ago, right?" Akihiko asked, not knowing if they'd get the reference.

As it turned out, only Junpei got it right off. "You mean that tower that got mentioned in the Christian Bible?" he asked. "…what was it called again? Babel, or something like that?"

At that point, the others got it, as Akihiko said, "Good job, Junpei. You got it in one… the Tower of Babel, said to be built to reach Heaven, only to fall short when Mankind lost their ability to understand each other right off."

"Still, this is a little… nuts," Minato remarked.

"No kidding… and it returns to normal after the Dark Hour fades?" Nayuki asked.

"Yes," Mitsuru replied. "So far, we don't know what happens if someone is inside the tower when that happens…"

Everyone else winced at that, even Akihiko. "Even after all this time, Mitsuru, that's not a pleasant picture," Akihiko said painfully.

"Agreed," Nayuki remarked. "Still, we need to explore this thing, right?"

"Indeed," Mitsuru nodded, before opening the gate to Tartarus.

Soon enough, the whole group went to the first floor of Tartarus, while they decided to look around for a bit.

"Definitely a weird place," Nayuki remarked. "And this is just the entrance?"

"Yes, it is," Akihiko answered. "Still, we need someone to lead the group going up the stairs to Tartarus's top floors, so…"

"For real?" Junpei asked. "One of us?" He then started bouncing around excitedly. "Oh! Me! Meme! Memememe! _PICK ME!_"

"Minato can do it," Yukari offered, getting everyone else's attention.

"Uh, Yukari—"

"Good idea, Yukari-san," Akihiko said, interrupting Minato. "I was about to appoint him, anyway."

"Wait, _what_?!" Junpei questioned. "Waiwaitwaitwait, why _him_?! He doesn't look much of a leader type!"

Clearing her throat, Yukari said, "We both have seen conflict against monsters, and come out on top… _and_ we have the ability to summon our Personas in the blink of an eye. Minato, unlike myself, is a natural leader."

Nayuki raised an eyebrow. "I'm definitely looking forward to seeing that," she remarked. "And Yukari-san, I'm looking forward to seeing how well you do with your Magic."

"Thanks, Nayuki-san," Yukari said with a bow. "Now you'll see how I, Kamen Rider Sage, can handle myself in a fight against Shadows with my abilities."

"Sage… interesting name for yourself," Nayuki remarked. "Well, we might as well get ready." She donned her Driver On and Flame Style Rings.

"Right," Yukari said, donning her Driver On Ring and a Ring that looked like the head of a Triceratops.

"_**DRIVER ON, PLEASE!**_" the Drivers chorused in unison as they went into active mode, and were then switched quickly to left hand input. "_**SHABADOOBIE TOUCH TO HENSHIN! SHABADOOBIE TOUCH TO HENSHIN! SHABADOOBIE TOUCH TO HENSHIN!**_"

"Henshin!" the two Riders called in unison, placing their rings over their Drivers.

"_**FLAME, PLEASE! HII! HII! HII, HII, HII!**_" the WizarDriver called as Nayuki donned her Flame Style battle suit.

"_**TRICERATOPS, PLEASE!**_" Yukari's SageDriver called, starting Yukari's transformation as a pink Magic Circle appeared above her and descending, her outfit forming as it passed over her. The outfit was in the form of a pink and dark red color scheme, with pink on the inside of the dark red coat, in the starting form that looked like a typical Kamen Rider outfit… only with protrusions that looked like they belonged to a Triceratops. The protrusions were in the same position that a regular Triceratops would have its horns and the back of its head that protected the neck.

Nayuki looked over Yukari's pink and dark-red outfit. "Nice… Triceratops, huh?" she asked. "Interesting…"

"Thank you, Wizard," Yukari said with a nod.

"You're welcome, Sage," Nayuki said.

"Alright then," Minato remarked. "Now that we're all ready, let's get started." With that said, the group moved towards the stairs, with Mitsuru staying behind to provide outside support.

Nayuki, turning to look at Mitsuru, asked, "Aren't you going to come with us?"

"Not today, unfortunately," Mitsuru answered. "In fact, until we can get someone who can provide dedicated outside support, I'm the one who has to do it… outside of my specialty."

"Oh, I see," Nayuki said. "Want me to keep you company?"

"No, not during this period of time," Mitsuru replied, shaking her head. "You just go on ahead, Kinomoto."

"Alright," Nayuki replied. "See you when we get back, Mitsuru-senpai." She smiled underneath her helmet, then turned back around and joined the rest of the group.

Partway to the stairs, though, Minato noticed something to his left. "What the…?" he asked himself, even as he walked over to investigate, seeing…

"A doorway on the ground floor?" he asked aloud. Moving his hand to open the door, he noticed it was locked, so he was about to give up on it when…

"Hm? Wait a minute…" He then pulled out a key that was in his pocket. Attempting to unlock the door with that key, he succeeded, going inside the doorway.

* * *

_**The Velvet Room**_

* * *

Minato found himself back in the Velvet Room, and walked over to sit in the chair across from Igor.

"I've been waiting for you," Igor remarked. "The time has come for you to wield your power."

"You mean the power to summon multiple Personas, right?" Minato asked. "I have access to Orpheus and Thanatos, currently."

"Precisely… wait, hold on," Igor said. "You have access to Thanatos? _This_ early?!"

"Well… being gone for over a year helps that matter out," Minato answered.

"Oh, right…" Igor said. Clearing his throat, he said, "Well… you currently have access in the Sea of your Soul to about 178 Personas, including Orpheus and Thanatos. You do not have access to all of them right away, but when you have defeated your enemies, you will see the faces of possibility before you. There may be times when they are difficult to grasp… But no matter. Seize what you have earned. Your power will grow accordingly… be sure to keep that in mind."

"Alright," Minato replied.

"My spare time will soon be scarce," Igor continued. "But please, come again of your own accord. I'll tell you then about my true role… the manner in which I can best assist you."

"Thank you," Minato replied.

"You are welcome, young man," Igor remarked. "And until then… Farewell."

Minato then left the Velvet Room.

* * *

_**Tartarus, Entrance - Dark Hour**_

* * *

"Uh, hello? You in there, dude?" Junpei asked Minato, once the door was closed behind the latter.

"Did you just enter and leave the Velvet Room?" Yukari asked.

Junpei looked at Yukari and asked, "Velvet Room? What's that?"

"It's apparently run by a subordinate of Philemon's," Yukari explained. "Goes by the name of Igor, and only certain people can enter it, like Minato. I can see the doorway that leads to it, but likely only because of my Magic."

"Yeah, I can see it, too," Nayuki remarked. "Anyway, you ready to go, Minato-san?"

"Yeah, I'm ready," Minato said. With that, they entered the second floor of Tartarus.

* * *

_**Tartarus, Second Floor**_

* * *

Minato and the others, Akihiko included, were at a closed corridor, the door leading into what almost looked like the corridors at school, only all jumbled up and covered with blood.

"So, this is it, huh?" Junpei asked.

"I'd be shocked at the decor, but given that the school turns into this place, it makes a twisted kind of sense," Nayuki remarked.

"Some of the places we ran into in that other universe were creepier than this," Yukari added. "Still, I hope I don't get lost."

At that point, Mitsuru's voice came over the headsets they all wore, Nayuki and Yukari having put them in their ears before donning their outfits. "_Can you all hear me?_" she asked.

"Loud and clear, senpai," Minato answered. "Anything we need to know?"

"_I'll be providing audio backup from here on out,_" Mitsuru replied. "_My Persona is primarily a combat one, but it also does allow me to see the layout of the floors. Tartarus' structure changes from day to day, so outside support is crucial, much as I would like to join you._"

"Right," Minato said, understanding what Nayuki learned earlier. "Well… let's get started, shall we, then?"

"_Be careful,_" Mitsuru said. "_I'm detecting a Shadow Mass in front of you by a few meters, so don't let it get the drop on you._"

"We'll be careful, Mitsuru-senpai," Yukari said. "Hopefully, the Shadow Mass won't hurt us that bad, right?"

"Let's try not to trigger Murphy, Yukari," Minato remarked as they silently advanced on it. "Instead, let's get the drop on _it_."

"Allow me," Nayuki said, using her Connect Ring to grab the WizarSwordGun. Shifting it to Gun Mode, she took aim at the Shadow Mass and fired, impacting it and causing it to split into a group of the blobs with blue masks.

"These guys are weak to fire, aren't they?" Minato asked, curious about that detail that he almost forgot about.

"_Correct,_" Mitsuru replied. "_Use Agi to defeat them, or Maragi, if you have it._"

"Or, I can always do this," Nayuki remarked, opening the Hand Author on her WizarSwordGun and running the Flame Style Ring over it.

"_**FLAME, SHOOTING STRIKE! HII HII HII! HII HII HII! HII HII HII!**_" the WizarSwordGun called out as it was covered in flames, Nayuki pulling the trigger and firing fireballs at all the Shadows, destroying the Shadows with one hit each.

"Hey…!" Junpei pouted. "Leave some for us, next time, will ya?!"

At that moment, before Nayuki could say anything, a staticy sound was heard from in front of them. "W-what was that?" Nayuki asked.

"I dunno," Akihiko answered. "Whatever it is, it's not normal."

"Let's advance with caution," Minato ordered. "Could be anything, so let's be ready for it."

The group nodded, even as Yukari readied her own WizarSwordGun, and they slowly advanced towards the staticy sound. Upon arriving at the source of the noise, a giant Shadow Mass showed up, only…

"What's up with the mask?" Junpei asked. "It's blank!"

"Might need a bit extra for this one…" Nayuki replied as her Persona's Tarot Card appeared in her hand. "_PERSONA!_" she called, crushing the card, causing Tsukuyomi to appear before her.

When Tsukuyomi was about to swing its katana at the 'Shadow Mass', the swing stopped just mere centimeters away from the skin, making everyone wonder what happened.

"_**Foolish mortal…**_" the Shadow spoke up, shifting forms to reveal it was a being with over a thousand masks all over its body. "_**You honestly thought you could defeat me? Even with your current power set, you are incapable of hurting me!**_"

Tsukuyomi returned to within Nayuki's soul as they almost all gazed on the being with awe and a little bit of fear. "Wh… what are you?" Akihiko asked.

"Not what," Minato snarled, showing a great amount of deep-seated hatred towards the being. "The correct question starts with _who_, Akihiko-senpai, and I know _just_ who it is… Nyarlathotep, the Crawling Chaos!"

With a reverberating laugh, Nyarlathotep said, "_**It seems you remember me from your journey in the other reality, Minato Arisato. I'm impressed you retained your memories from that body… then again, this would have been something you'd share with Yukari Takeba, when you were ready to talk… Correct?**_"

"He told me all about his encounter with you, Crawling Chaos," Yukari growled. "We won't let you have your way."

"_**Oh? But I already **_**have**_** my way, Yukari Takeba,**_" Nyarlathotep said. "_**In fact… this whole city has been under my influence ever since 11 years ago, when I moved the demons in, putting them under the guise of what you call 'Shadows'. 10 years ago, they started to bring about the end of the world on my orders, with the objective being that they needed to kill Humanity in one fell swoop.**_"

"We will stop you," Nayuki remarked. "It may not be this instant, but we will stop your plans."

With another reverberating laugh, Nyarly said, "_**How can you stop my plans? They've been in motion for over 13 years, ever since I made myself a Persona, one to manipulate the Branch President of SEBEC with… and even brought about the end of the world myself 10 years ago, which would've left only Sumaru City active, if it weren't for the interference of my **_**rival**_**!**_"

"If you mean Philemon, he's helping us this time, as well," Nayuki replied. "And we _will_ find a way. Count on it."

"_**Don't bet on it,**_" Nyarly countered. "_**I'll take my leave, but only so that you'll die by some high-ranking demons I'll leave behind to **_**kill**_** you with!**_" With that, he vanished, leaving behind a group of demons that were out of the guise they were in before.

"Here they come!" Minato cried out, especially as they let out a loud and long howl, revealing them to be hell hounds of a higher order.

"_**WATER, PLEASE! SUI-SUI! SUI-SUI!**_" the WizarDriver called out as Nayuki switched over to Water Style, which would give her an elemental advantage against the Hell Hounds. She then summoned Tsukuyomi again.

"_ISIS!_" Yukari called out, summoning her new Persona that had changed from her original Persona, Io, over the course of her journey with Minato. Rather than a female figure chained to a bull's head, her Persona now resembled an elaborate statue of a female's head and upper torso, an elaborate headpiece wrapping around it, two horns sticking out of its head and holding a round object between them, and wings where its arms would be.

Tsukuyomi struck the Hell Hounds with a Mahama, as Isis unleashed a Magarula on them, as everyone else went to summon their own Personas.

"Wizard, normally, anything related to Hama or Mudo's an instant kill ability," Minato said, getting Nayuki's attention briefly. "However, it seems that Tsukuyomi can use the instant kill part on Zombies especially… everything else gets hit with continuing damage, should it hit."

"That's good," Nayuki replied. "Let's see how well water works on these guys…" She ran her Water Style Ring over the Hand Author on her WizarSwordGun in Gun Mode.

"_**WATER! SHOOTING STRIKE! SUI SUI SUI! SUI SUI SUI! SUI SUI SUI!**_" her WizarSwordGun called out as water swirled around it, Nayuki pulling the trigger to shoot blasts of water at each of the Hell Hounds… not doing that much damage, to be honest.

"Damn! Guess Water Style just doesn't have enough power to do much damage!" Nayuki muttered. "I wish that contract hadn't limited my access to my Dragon Styles… Water Dragon would likely be useful at this point."

"No use complaining over that now, Wizard," Yukari said. "Though, if you ask me, these guys might be weak to Ice instead."

"Ice, huh?" Nayuki replied. Her Blizzard Ring might work, but that was also likely restricted at the moment… "Anyone have any Ice attacks?" she asked.

"_I know Ice attacks… they are categorized as Bufu-types,"_ Tsukuyomi said to Nayuki, making her want to facepalm.

Refraining from doing so, she instead summoned her Persona and called forth, "_TSUKUYOMI! MABUFU!_"

The Hell Hounds were blasted with ice, which, when coupled with another Magarula from Isis, was enough to finally finish them off.

"Phew," Minato sighed, wiping some sweat from his brow. "Everyone alright?"

"No injuries, at least," Nayuki remarked as she switched back to Flame Style. "Now that we know our main enemy, though, we're going to need to do everything we can to derail his plans."

"Agreed," Yukari said, searching the demons for anything of value. "It'd be best to… what the…?"

"Yukari-san?" Nayuki asked. "What'd you find?"

"Why do demons have Japanese money on them? I found at least 50,000 yen on them!" Yukari informed. Upon looking at what items they might have, she said, "At least they have Beads… that's something worth full health healing. Not sure what the other items are for."

"We'd best be careful when dealing with them, then," Minato said. Taking a hand to his earpiece, he asked, "Senpai, are you able to direct us to an exit?"

"_Yes, there should be an access point near you,_" Mitsuru replied. "_It will allow you to teleport back to the lobby._"

"Right," Minato replied. "We'll be back down soon."

As they headed out to find an Access Point, Nayuki remarked, "Might need to get in touch with Wajima tomorrow… see if he'd be willing to relocate here to Iwatodai."

"Wajima?" Yukari asked. "He's the guy who crafted all your Wizard Rings, right?"

"Yeah… helps that he also makes mundane jewelry," Nayuki replied. "We're likely going to need new Rings before all is said and done… and probably best if we called in the expert on making them."

Sooner than finding the Access Point, however, they found the stairs going up. "We're not going up this time," Minato said, brooking no arguments. "See if you can find anything on this floor, make your way to the Access Point, then head back down to the first floor!"

"Gotcha," Junpei replied. "See you all down there!"

With that, they split up, looking for anything they could find that might be of use, as they made their way to the Access Point.

* * *

_**Tartarus, Entrance**_

* * *

When they made their way to the first floor, Minato and his team walked over to Mitsuru, feeling a bit tired all of a sudden… well, three of them felt a bit tired, anyway.

"Man… I'm beat," Junpei said, feeling tired.

"Yeah… hadn't had this much exercise in a while," Akihiko said, feeling just as tired.

Nayuki would've said something about that, but stopped herself on seeing Minato and Yukari. "Hey…" she said, getting their attention. "Why aren't you two tired?"

"We've been through worse over the course of our journey than over the course of this trip," Minato and Yukari said as one.

"I'm not surprised," Mitsuru said, getting their attention. "Normally, the Dark Hour is more strenuous than the normal 24 hours in a day, but to learn that you two went through a lot more than that… I won't underestimate you two like that."

"Thanks, Mitsuru-senpai," Minato and Yukari replied in unison.

"In any case, we should get going," Mitsuru remarked. "The Dark Hour will be ending soon."

"Right," Nayuki replied, before smirking at Minato and Yukari. "We also need to plan a wedding for those two."

With a blush, Minato and Yukari looked at each other, unsure of how to voice their thoughts in that case.

* * *

_**Gekkoukan High Front Gate - 12:00 AM, April 19th, 2009**_

* * *

"Well… that went well, all things considered," Akihiko said to Mitsuru.

"Yes… though that encounter with Nyarlathotep… things aren't going to be easy…" she replied.

"Odds are he's somehow been involved in this from day one," Nayuki remarked. "We've got a lot to do if we're going to stop him, but I know that we can."

"Easy for anyone that hasn't faced him before to say," Minato said, shaking his head. "I remember how that battle last time went… it wasn't pretty."

Junpei turned to face him and asked, "What battle?"

Minato didn't answer right away, lowering his head for a few seconds, before he lifted it up. "Let's just say that the battle wasn't of this world, and leave it at that."

Junpei, despite his earlier brilliance, wasn't one to take the hint. "Dude, what are you refraining from telling us?!" he questioned Minato, about to step forward to grab his shirt collar.

Yukari reached out and grabbed Junpei's hand in a vise-like grip. "He doesn't want to tell you, Junpei-san," she remarked coldly. "Kindly refrain from pushing him on the subject." She then released his hand as she and Minato began walking back towards the Dorm.

Junpei stood there, slack-jawed, as he felt the glares on his person from the others. When he recovered enough, he stated, "W-what?! I was _only_ curious about how that battle went…!"

With a shake of their heads, the other three said as one, "Stupei."

"Hey, no fair ganging up on me like that!" Junpei remarked as they followed Minato and Yukari back to the Dorm.

* * *

_**Iwatodai Dorms - Early Morning, April 19th, 2009**_

* * *

Nayuki was cooking breakfast for once since moving into the dorm, hoping to impress someone with her skill. It wasn't an advertised skill, but… it was one that she practiced in.

Ever since the previous night, she had not been able to get to sleep, mostly because, whenever she tried, she had this strange dream that seemed to be on repeat… and it wasn't fun. In fact, if she didn't know any better, she'd have thought it was prophetic.

The dream was of everyone from the dorm around her, dead, and Minato being held up on a doorway, still as a statue, chains keeping him from falling down. She was the only one left alive, so it seemed, to make sure that someone left a record of what happened.

She wasn't able to dream anything else, and it wasn't all that conducive to sleep. So, she figured she might as well do something while she was up.

She eventually finished preparing the breakfast, and began bringing it up to the third floor of the dorm - specifically, Mitsuru's room, as she knocked on the door.

"Who's there?" Mitsuru asked, sleepily.

"It's Nayuki, senpai," she answered. "I made breakfast for you… want to have it here?"

"Oh, uh, sure," Mitsuru answered. A few moments later, she opened the door. "Come on in."

"Thanks," Nayuki replied as she walked in, taking in the decor of the room. "You have a nice room, senpai."

"Oh, uh, thank you," Mitsuru said, unused to the praise that Nayuki was giving her.

"It is my pleasure, senpai," Nayuki said. "That is, if you're talking about the breakfast. If you mean the praise, then you're welcome."

"Both, actually," Mitsuru replied. "I'm… uh… not used to hearing praise quite like what you just gave, and for the food… well, neither Akihiko nor myself are very good cooks, so we often have to order take-out…"

Nayuki shook her head. "That doesn't sound fun…" she remarked. "I will admit I prefer Plain Sugar donuts over just about anything else, but I do know a few things about cooking other items."

"Oh? I think I should give it a try," Mitsuru said, taking some utensils for eating with. "So… itadakimasu?"

Nayuki nodded, unveiling her culinary project, which turned out to be pancakes and freshly made apple sauce.

"Certainly looks and smells good…" Mitsuru remarked as she took an exploratory bite… and her eyes lit up. "Wow, it tastes even better than it looks. Thank you very much, Kinomoto."

Nayuki rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Oh, come on, you'll make me blush," she replied. She then used her Connect Ring to grab some Plain Sugar Donuts from her room, and the two ate in companionable silence for a few moments.

After finishing their food, Nayuki asked, "So… what do we need to do with Minato-san and Yukari-san's homework?"

"Well…" Mitsuru said. "I'm not entirely sure. Perhaps we can get them to do it before tomorrow, when the next school day comes up, so that they aren't behind."

"Right," Nayuki replied. "Will need to be a full workday for them, but hopefully it'll work. Once they're caught up again, though, we can start wedding plans for them - definitely going to be unusual, getting married at their age, but after hearing about what they went through in that other world, I don't think making them wait to take that step in their relationship would be beneficial in the slightest."

"Agreed, Kinomoto," Mitsuru answered. "Now, what about you? Do you need more attention to your schoolwork, or is that not an issue yet?"

"I think I'm doing well in that regard," Nayuki replied. "Even with the occasional patrol, I think I'm up-to-date with my coursework. Will likely have enough time to start participating in clubs once they open up, if one strikes my fancy."

"Kinomoto," Mitsuru said. "Perhaps I can interest you in a club later?"

"Hoh? You're hoping to recruit me?" Nayuki asked. "Well, I have no problem with that, senpai… it just depends on the club."

"You'll just need to wait and see, Kinomoto," Mitsuru said. "It'll probably be for the better if you do so." Standing up, she said, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to remind Arisato and Takeba to do their homework."

"Gotcha," Nayuki remarked. "Probably better if you knock, senpai - don't want to catch an eyeful if they're being… intimate."

Mitsuru blushed, but nodded.

* * *

**Xamusel: Okay, this is an interesting update, all things considered. We learned that Nyarly is the one behind the Dark Hour, and we also learned that Shadows are disguised Demons, brought in by Nyarly itself. We also have the plan to give Minato and Yukari a wedding to look forward to… and even look back on.**

**Confused by how that's supposed to happen? Read the side story all the way through (and then some). You'll see more about it there… especially when it updates to show some extra info.**

**With all that's about to happen, the heroes are probably going to need all the help they can get, though… how soon will they **_**get**_** said help? You'll just have to wait and see.**

**Well, ja ne, everyone!**


	6. Ch 5: Random droll of school life

Disclaimer: Neither Takeshi Yamato nor Xamusel own Kamen Rider Wizard or Persona 3. We only own the idea from the plot, and some of the OCs.

**Takeshi Yamato: Hello, everyone!**

**Welcome to the fifth chapter of A Wizard in Iwatodai!**

**In regards to Yukari's Rider outfit lacking a lot of details last chapter… well… suffice to say we don't have ideas for those details ourselves - all we know is that Yukari's transformations are going to be animal-based, her default form is based on a Triceratops, and that her transformations will be full suit (similar to Wizard's). If anyone has any ideas, or has enough confidence in their skills to try **_**drawing**_** Yukari as Kamen Rider Sage, please let us know.**

**Also, yes, this story will eventually get its rating shifted to M, and will have Lemons in it - However, didn't really feel like it was an appropriate time for one at the end of the last chapter.**

**Now, let's see what fate has in store for the Wizard next! :D**

* * *

**A Wizard in Iwatodai**

Story by Takeshi Yamato, written by Takeshi Yamato and Xamusel

* * *

_**Gekkoukan High School, Morning, April 20th, 2009**_

* * *

"Man… why do we have to deal with this?" Junpei asked in annoyed irritation, looking at the blackboard with an evil glare. "I mean, we deal with so much, already… why this on top of that?"

"Well, we do still need an education, Junpei-san," Nayuki remarked in a whisper. "I mean, we're going to need day jobs eventually in order to support ourselves - fighting monsters doesn't pay the rent."

"What's this about the rent being paid?" Minato asked, whispering as well. "Remember those battles last night? We ended up getting a good deal of Yen out of them. Therefore, we're set for the rent for the time being."

"Just saying that even with that, monsters won't drop money all the time - we'll need day jobs eventually, and we need educations to get higher-paying ones."

"You mean they won't drop that much money all the time, right?" Yukari asked, also whispering. "I'm not sure of all the specifics, but we always got some decent cash when fighting enemies while we were away… I think the same applies over here."

"Well, maybe," Nayuki admitted. "Still, day jobs would give us some decent supplementary income, just in case the monster fighting hits a slow point."

"What are you four whispering about?!" Ms. Toriumi demanded from in front of the blackboard.

"Just ways to earn money, Sensei," Nayuki remarked. "We've got some decent funds for tuition and related items for the moment, but who knows how long that will last, or if we'll need anything for personal reasons."

Blinking, the teacher asked, "Is that… so? Well, I see, then. Carry on with your discussions… _after_ one of you answers a question correctly."

"Well, Minato, I believe that's your cue," Yukari remarked.

"In the later part of the previous century, who was the author to start writing a seven-part book series that ended sometime after the death of the main villain by means of something meant for disarming?" Ms. Toriumi asked, after Minato stood up to hear her out and then answer the question.

"J.K. Rowling," Minato replied.

"Good, you've read up on foreign literature, Arisato-san," Ms. Toriumi said, nodding in approval. "Indeed, the _Harry Potter_ series of books has just that death, which I find stupid… but, anyway, that's neither here or now."

"Nice work, Minato-san," Nayuki remarked as Minato sat back down.

"Thanks, Nayuki-san," he replied.

* * *

_The magic rings, the Wizard Rings._

(A red magic circle appears over a black background. Four lights appear at the main corners of the Circle, from which appear the Flame, Water, Hurricane, and Land Style Rings.)

_They shine on both hands of the modern mage._

(The Rings float in different directions, Water, Hurricane, and Land going off the screen as Flame lands on Nayuki's left middle finger as she appears silhouetted in front of the magic circle, Driver On Ring on her right middle finger)

_As she changes despair into hope._

(A close-up image of Nayuki's head and shoulders, still silhouetted, as the helmet and upper outfit of Wizard Flame Style super-impose themselves over her form.)

**(BGM: Life is SHOW TIME [TV Version])**

_Maji ka? Maji de? Maji da! Showtime! __**(**__**Seriously [it's magic]!? Really!? I'm serious! Show Time!**__**)**_

(Wizard Flame Style does a few spins in various positions relative to a red magic circle on a white background, before appearing on Winger WizarDragon, which flies off the screen before WizarDragon flies back onto the screen, lobbing a fireball from its mouth before the flash resolves into the title logo.)

_Maru de tsuki to taiyou __**(**__**It's like the shock**__**)**_

(Nayuki is seen standing atop the Iwatodai Dorms building, overlooking the whole town, before the scene shifts to a solar eclipse, then to Wizard Flame Style spinning to face her right, and finally to Nayuki spinning to face her left.)

_Kasanaru toki no shougeki __**(**__**When the moon and the sun collide!**__**)**_

(Nayuki stands in the middle of a crowded street, head down, before raising it somewhat to look at a boy in a style similar to that of a jailbird, who looks up to reveal Pharos.)

_Dare datte kiseki shinjite mitai __**(**__**Everyone wants to believe in a miracle**__**)**_

(Pharos lifts his right hand up, the back of it facing Nayuki, and the screen shifts to show them reaching for each other's hand, before it shows them walking across the street to each other, Mitsuru appearing on Pharos' side, Minato showing up on Nayuki's side.)

_Kitto hitotsu you_ _fukaketsu no ENAJI_ _kokoro no da ne __**(The indispensable energy that people need comes from the heart)**_

(The background shatters, before Mitsuru drives up on her own motorcycle, pulling off her helmet before brandishing her rapier and Evoker. Minato then appears, a silhouetted image of Thanatos behind him. Pharos and Nayuki appear in front of a Velvet Doorway.)

_Yume to yosou ii imi de uragitte kureru mono __**(Dreams and expectations will betray you in a good way)**_

(Yukari Takeba is seen transforming into Kamen Rider Sage, while a magic ball shows Nayuki transforming into Kamen Rider Wizard, the ball being held by Pharos.)

_3! 21! 1! Showtime!_

(The scene shows Pharos' immediate area glowing in light.)

_Magic Time!_

(Wizard Flame Style is seen in front of a building, jumping and spinning in place.)

_TRICK ja nai! __**(It's no trick!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style lands on the ground, lifting her right hand to her mask, before lowering her arm.)

_Mahou HIIRO hanpa nee ze __**(The Magic Hero is no pushover!)**_

(A red magic circle appears under her feet, with three separate magic circles, red, blue, and yellow, underneath the Red Garuda, Blue Unicorn, and Yellow Kraken PlaMonsters respectively, before Wizard Flame Style spins around and sends her familiars out.)

_Mo-to halelujah_

(Wizard Flame Style crushes a card in her hand, as Tsukuyomi appears behind her.)

_Kioku no roots moguri-konde kibou sukui-dase __**(Dig into the roots of memory and save that hope!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style leaps through a blue magic circle to her right, becoming Wizard Water Style, then leaps up through a green magic circle to become Hurricane Style, then drops down through a yellow magic circle to become Land Style.)

_Show Time!_

(Nayuki and Pharos reach for each other's hands and grab them.)

_Life is showtime! Tobikiri no __**(Life is Showtime! It's exhilerating!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style is seen falling through magic circles.)

_Unmei to RAIFU mucha shite mo __**(Even if you're reckless with fate and life!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style is riding Machine Winger down a road, as WizarDragon flies up alongside. Machine Winger and WizarDragon combine to form Winger WizarDragon, with Nayuki still riding.)

_Mo-to halelujah_

(Back with the close up on Nayuki and Pharos' hands, as Nayuki moves the Hope Ring towards Pharos' finger.)

_Kinou, kyou, ashita, mirai __**(Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, and in the future…)**_

(Nayuki, Minato, Yukari, and Mitsuru are in the Iwatodai dorm, each doing various things. Their positions switch two times, with each switch showing a new set of activities.)

_Subete no namida wo __**(…all those tears…)**_

(Nayuki is riding Machine Winger, Mitsuru riding behind her.)

_Show Time!_

(Nayuki finishes sliding the Hope Ring onto Pharos' finger, the ring beginning to light up.)

_Kouseki ni kaette yaruze __**(…I will change them into jewels!)**_

(Wizard's four main Styles come into view, Flame in the center, Water from the right, Hurricane from above, and Land from the left. The four pose identically as Water, Hurricane, and Land turn into light and merge with Flame.)

_Maji ka? Maji de? Maji da! Showtime! __**(**__**Seriously [it's magic]!? Really!? I'm serious! Show Time!**__**)**_

(Brief shot of Nayuki holding up her left hand with the Flame Style Ring on it, followed by Wizard Flame Style doing a brief spin and posing in front of Machine Winger, the story logo once again flaming into existence in the foreground.)

* * *

**Chapter 5: Random droll of school life**

* * *

_**Gekkoukan High, Rooftop - 11:45 AM, April 22, 2009**_

* * *

The next couple days went by rather simply, though the 21st had a bit of excitement with the morning assembly, where it was revealed Mitsuru had been elected president of the Student Council. She'd done a rather good acceptance speech, in Nayuki's opinion.

Anyway, lunchtime had rolled around again, and Nayuki was sharing lunch with Mitsuru on the rooftop, in what was starting to become a routine.

"So… senpai, how do you like being President of the Student Council?" Nayuki asked. "I mean, it's only been a day…"

"Well, it's alright, if a bit busy," Mitsuru remarked. "Time will tell just how well I do at it, but it definitely seems like we might need some extra hands…"

"I might be able to help out, senpai," Nayuki admitted. "It shouldn't be _that_ hard to handle the Student Council, right?" Upon receiving a blank stare, she asked, "…right, senpai?"

"Well, it can be difficult at times, Kinomoto," Mitsuru replied. "Still, I do thank you for the offer, and I was planning on asking, anyway."

"O-oh, really, senpai?" Nayuki asked in surprise. "I mean, this is rather sudden, don't you think?"

"Maybe, maybe not," Mitsuru replied. "Still, having seen you in action around the school and elsewhere, I definitely think you'd be able to help - you'll primarily be my aide, helping me manage things from day to day."

"Oh, senpai, you flatter me," Nayuki said, blushing slightly. "I'll do my best to fit the role you need of me."

"Thank you very much, Kinomoto," Mitsuru replied. "I'll introduce you to the rest of the Council after classes are over." She then looked down to the lunches, which had been made by Nayuki. "So… what did you make us for lunch today?"

"Oh, some Fried Ricer," Nayuki said with a smile and a giggle after that.

"I'm sorry, what's this 'Fried Ricer', Kinomoto?" Mitsuru asked in confusion.

"I'm joking, senpai," Nayuki said with a wave of her hand. "It's simply fried rice."

Mitsuru sighed. "Obviously, not a joke I'm familiar with," she remarked. "Well, let's eat."

With a nod, Nayuki opened her fried rice lunch and started to eat in sync with Mitsuru, which, if anyone else were there to comment, would be automatically seen as freaky.

* * *

_**Gekkoukan High School Front Gate, 11:59 PM, April 23rd, 2009**_

* * *

"Well…" a young woman of 15 with brown hair and red eyes said with a sigh, upon getting to the gates of the school at this abysmal time of night. "Talk about bad timing… as well as getting lost, all thanks to my tour guide. Why, oh why, did I _have_ to go with Hibiki Travel Guiding Agency when the owner and main field operator is cursed to be lost for eternity?!"

At that moment, she heard footsteps appear from behind her, prompting her to turn around and see a group of older students headed for the school gates. Panicking visibly, she shot out of the way of the school gates, getting ready to transform into her special state to fight bad guys (on the off chance they were bad guys). While they were headed for the school, the young woman was pondering transforming right then and there, putting a hand to a belt buckle-like device hanging from her jacket…

…when the world started to turn green all around her.

She then watched, semi-incredulously, as the school suddenly began to twist, distort, and _grow_, reaching up impossibly high.

"What… the… hell?" she asked out loud, even louder than normal, causing the group to look at her.

"Wait, someone else who's active in the Dark Hour?" one of them, a second-year girl with the ice-blue hair asked. "Who is—"

"Hamuko-imouto?!" asked a second-year boy with deep blue hair, who the 15-year-old recognized instantly.

"Onii-chan?" the now-identified Hamuko Arisato looked at her brother Minato Arisato with hearts in her eyes as she asked this. Upon seeing him back away slightly, she raced towards him, being surprisingly fast for her age and for the distance to travel, even as she yelled, "ONII-CHAN! Let me love you with all the love a woman can have for a man!"

Minato, as it seemed, was in a big pickle… and he knew that he needed to run as fast and as far as his legs could go and take him. He knew that there was no stopping his sister from her goal of bedding him before her sixteenth birthday… unless he was to be already married… by… that… point… oh. Still, he did run, attempting to lose his sister somewhere near the dorm.

Fortunately for him, Yukari quickly interposed herself between him and Hamuko, grabbing the girl as she tried to run past Yukari. "Why are you trying to run down my fiance like one of Akihiko-senpai's lovestruck fangirls?" she asked, her voice dangerously calm.

"How _dare_ you call my brother your fiance, you _bimbo_!" Hamuko shouted. "He promised me he would be my first time before I turned 16! I _won't_ let anyone steal him from me before then!"

Yukari's eyes narrowed. "Minato, dear, is that true?" she asked.

"I didn't word it properly back then, Yukari, Hamuko-imouto," Minato said, upon getting back to the entrance of Tartarus. "When I said 'I will be your first time', Hamuko-imouto, I meant in terms of you getting some dating experience without going as far as doing the deed."

Yukari accepted this, smiling a bit at him. "Well, that sounds reasonable, and a very kind thing to do for your little sister," she said, before turning to Hamuko. "As for you, I'm willing to forgive the misunderstanding, as long as you don't call me a 'bimbo' again - my name is Yukari Takeba, soon to be Yukari Takeba-Arisato." Her eyes hardened dangerously. "Am. I. _Clear?_"

"C-c-c-c-c-c-c-crystal clear!" Hamuko said, nodding faster than she had before in her life.

"Good," Yukari said, before releasing her grip on Hamuko. "Now, aside from that misunderstanding, what are you doing here? Minato told me you lived over in Zawame City these days."

"It's simple, really," Hamuko said. "I transferred out of the local school at Zawame City to spend time with my big brother, mainly because I wanted him to honor his promise, but also to see if he could help explain what I've only started seeing recently what he started seeing some ten years back."

"So, you only recently started seeing the Dark Hour?" Mitsuru asked, walking up to her. "I see… perhaps we should have someone take her back to the Dorm, and we can explain things to her in the morning - I'd rather wait to confirm whether she has the Potential or not before taking her into Tartarus."

Before someone could volunteer, however, a loud laughing was heard from down the road away from the school. "Well, well," the voice that owned the laugh said. "It looks like there's more brats here with Gates than I thought! I'm gonna make more Phantoms out of you!"

"Crap!" Nayuki swore, as she and Yukari stepped forward, getting between the group and the approaching Phantom, which appeared to be based off of a cat-woman of some kind. "Everyone, stay back! Yukari-san and I will handle this!"

"Really?" the Phantom replied. "And what can you two do?"

"Plenty," Yukari remarked, as the two donned their Rings.

"_**DRIVER ON, PLEASE!**_" announced the WizarDriver and SageDriver as the two scanned their Driver On Rings, and then switched them to Henshin Input. "_**SHABADOOBIE TOUCH TO HENSHIN! SHABADOOBIE TOUCH TO HENSHIN! SHABADOOBIE TOUCH TO HENSHIN!**_"

"Henshin!" the two called in unison as they scanned their Flame Style and Triceratops Style Rings, respectively.

"_**FLAME, PLEASE! HII! HII! HII, HII, HII!**_" announced the WizarDriver as Nayuki transformed to Wizard Flame Style.

"_**TRICERATOPS, PLEASE!**_" the SageDriver announced as Yukari donned her Triceratops Style garb.

"N-no way!" the Phantom called out as it visibly recoiled. "T-t-t-t-t-_two Mahoutsukais?!_"

"Saa," Wizard remarked, as she achieved her standard pre-battle pose, "showtime da."

"Uh… Ghouls! Tear them to _shreds_!" the Phantom cried out, before a hoard of Ghouls arrived, intent on tearing the enemies to shreds.

As Nayuki and Yukari drew their WizarSwordGuns and began fighting the Ghouls, Hamuko felt a desire to help, and knew how she could - this seemed similar in a way to fighting those Inves creatures back in Zawame.

She took the belt-buckle device hanging from her jacket and attached it to her waist, causing an actual belt to wrap around her. Next, she took out what looked like an old-fashioned lock, only instead of the dial, an image of a strawberry took over most of the lock. She pressed a button, causing the lock to open.

"**ICHIGO!**" announced the lock, as a zipper-like portal opened above her, allowing a metallic strawberry to descend through it. She then placed the lock in a bay in the middle of her belt device and closed the lock, causing the buckle to announce, "**LOCK ON!**"

Music began blaring from her belt, sounding like horns that might come from the Sengoku Period, drawing everyone's attention to her.

"Henshin!" Hamuko announced, hitting a sword-shaped lever on the device as it 'sliced' into the lock, flipping the strawberry part down. Inside were two images - one on the main lock looking like a sliced-open strawberry, and one on the inside of the metal strawberry, containing what looked like a trio of strawberry-themed kunai.

"**SOIYA!**" the buckle called out as the strawberry descended, the bottom tip opening to cover her right shoulder as the rest of it covered her head. The buckle then continued, "**ICHIGO ARMS!**" as she was instantly clad in a pink battle suit, even lighter pink than Yukari's, and with slight gold trimming on the arm guards and legguards. Inside the strawberry, a pink helmet appeared on her head as an extra part textured like a strawberry slipped onto the back of the helmet, her visor looking like the inside of a strawberry slice. As the strawberry unfolded, forming a chestpiece, a larger guard on her left shoulder, and some back armor, the buckle finished, "**SHUSHUTTO SPARK!**"

"Huh?" Minato asked, having never seen anything quite like that transformation before.

"Woah…" Junpei breathed. "Another Kamen Rider…"

Having somehow missed hearing Junpei's comment, Hamuko walked over to her fellow Riders, before they proceeded to defeat the Phantom and her goons. With a practised ease, she sped forward, drawing a weapon that looked like a longsword, but the crossguard was angled such that it looked like someone had stuck a blade on top of a gun... the Musou Saber.

Tearing through the Ghouls turned out to be relatively easy, as they approached the Phantom itself.

"Well, let's change things up a bit," Nayuki remarked, switching out her Flame Ring for a Ring with a green triangular crystal in its core, again folding transparent bits down to make it look like a face. "Time to blow you away," she said to the Phantom, as she flipped the Hand Author twice, switching it into Henshin Input again, and running the new ring over it.

"_**HURRICANE, PLEASE! FUU-FUU! FUU-FUU-FUU-FUU!**_" the WizarDriver called out as a green magic circle appeared and descended over Nayuki, changing the ruby-like portions of her armor to become emerald-like, the red inner fabric on her overcoat to turn green, and her visor to gain a triangular shape.

She had changed to her Wind Element form, Hurricane Style. She then slashed with her WizarSword Gun, sending a wind blast at the Phantom.

The Phantom simply put a hand up, blocking the wind slash with an invisible barrier, before saying, "You think _that_ can stop _me_?! Think again, nyaa! I, Bastet, will be your end!"

"Well, if that doesn't work, let's try this," Nayuki replied as she switched the Hurricane Style Ring for one with a yellow, square-shaped crystal core, again triggering a mechanism to change it to look like a face, before reactivating the Henshin Input and running the Ring over her Driver.

"_**LAND, PLEASE! DODODO, DODODON! DON, DODODON!**_" The WizarDriver called out as Nayuki changed Styles once more, this time with her helmet visor taking a square shape, the green bits of her outfit becoming yellow, and the crystal portions changing from emerald to topaz.

This was the last of her Basic Elemental Styles, Land Style. She then switched her Driver to Spell Input, running another of her Rings over it.

"_**BIND, PLEASE!**_" the WizarDriver announced as what looked like chains of rock erupted from the ground to hold the Phantom in place.

"Wh-what?!" Bastet got out, only for Hamuko, Nayuki, and Yukari to prepare to finish off the Phantom with their strongest attacks yet.

"Saa, finale da," Nayuki remarked as the three Riders spread out, so they were equidistant from each other as they surrounded Bastet.

"_**CHOI NE! KICK STRIKE! SAIKO!**_" the WizarDriver and SageDriver called out as Nayuki and Yukari scanned their Kick Strike Rings over their Drivers as Magic Circles appeared underneath them, and they spun around once to allow the magic to more evenly distribute around their right legs, and they began moving forward, somersaulting as they approached the Phantom, a Triceratops head appearing around Yukari's leg, while Earth Magic surrounded Nayuki's.

At the same time, Hamuko leapt into the air, and flipped the lever on her Driver twice. "**SOIYA! ICHIGO AU LAIT!**" the Driver called out, as she extended her right leg for a kick, what looked like a strawberry appearing in front of her foot as she descended… impacting the Phantom at the same time as Nayuki and Yukari's Kick Strikes landed.

"NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Bastet cried out in horror, just as the kicks impacted on her, before…

…she shattered like a statue made out of sodium.

After the Phantom was destroyed, they stood there for a moment, before Yukari and Nayuki undid their transformations, and Hamuko popped open the strawberry lock and pulled it off, then closing it all the way as her Driver went "**LOCK OFF!**" and canceled her own transformation.

"Interesting…" Yukari remarked. "Didn't realize you were a Kamen Rider, too, Hamuko-san."

"Huh? Kamen Rider? What are you talking about?" Hamuko asked, confusion apparent on her face. "I'm an Armored Rider, Armored Rider Dia."

"I was confused when I first heard the term, myself," Nayuki replied. "But it does fit - Kamen Riders are warriors who are given special powers, which they use to defend the innocent, and fight against not just monsters, but those who often control them for whatever nefarious purpose they work towards. I only first heard a description of the term from a different Rider, Fourze, but it fits - so I started calling myself Kamen Rider Wizard, as opposed to simply being called Wizard before then."

It was at that moment when Hamuko finally understood what was meant. "Oooooooooh!" she said, pounding a fist to her open palm. "So, in other words, I'm not an 'Armored Rider', but _Kamen_ Rider Dia!"

"Pretty much," Nayuki replied. "I am curious as to how your particular abilities work, but we can save that for a Note Swap Session either after we get back to the Dorm or tomorrow." She looked over at Mitsuru. "Mitsuru-senpai, we still good for a run through Tartarus now?"

"Might as well, Kinomoto," Mitsuru answered with a nod. Turning to face Hamuko, she said, "Be ready for a lot of exercise, Arisato, or else you'll be left behind."

"Well, I tended to get a lot of exercise in Zawame, even before I got my Sengoku Driver and Lockseed here," she remarked. "I should be good, even if I haven't faced monsters other than Inves before tonight."

* * *

_**Outside the gates to Gekkoukan High School, 12:00 AM, April 24th, 2009**_

* * *

"Me and my big, fat mouth," Hamuko said, showing the signs of being extremely tired from her first excursion into Tartarus, even after what she had said before.

"It's not so bad," Nayuki remarked. "The Dark Hour does tend to be rather draining - you just need time to adapt, that's all." Nayuki herself was feeling somewhat tired, but nowhere near as bad as their first run through Tartarus.

"Yeah, I know that, Nayuki-senpai," Hamuko replied. "However, I didn't have a chance to pull my weight in as part of the group. If I were pulling my weight in as part of the group, I'd probably be even worse off, right?"

"Likely, but again, you're just starting out," Nayuki informed. "Give it a little time, and you should be able to catch up to us - though we're still trying to catch up to Minato-san and Yukari-san, given what they've been through."

Hamuko nodded in a tired and sleepy fashion, before she woke up all of a sudden, looking at her brother and Yukari as they were holding hands. "What _have_ those two been through that make them at the peak compared to everyone else?" she asked.

"Well, apparently their minds and souls spent at least a year in another universe, while their bodies were in a coma in the hospital for a week," Nayuki informed. "You'll learn more during the Note Swap Session, just know that the truth is often a lot stranger than fiction."

"I bet… that's definitely the case with me," Hamuko said, looking forward at the time. "So… who gets what room in your dorm?"

"Girls' rooms are on the third floor, while Boys' rooms are on the second," Mitsuru replied. "Though, I should mention that due to your brother and Takeba's experiences, they moved into Takeba's room together."

"I just hope that they're waiting for their marriage before doing anything explicit," Hamuko said, shuddering at the thought of her brother doing anything with another girl… it would take her a while to get over her incestuous thinking patterns.

Unseen by Hamuko, Minato and Yukari both winced slightly, given that they had been intimate a lot during that time in the other universe, and they had 'done it' a couple of times after returning to the Dorm, as well. They were just somewhat hopeful that they hadn't had a perfect repeat of their first night together in the other universe… they did want to wait until they were married here before they had kids again.

* * *

_**SEES dormitory, Evening, April 24th, 2009**_

* * *

Getting Hamuko situated in school wasn't too hard, considering Mitsuru's help - the younger Arisato was situated in Class 1-D, and was getting along well with her fellow classmates.

The Note Swap Session had gone well, too - though Nayuki was concerned about those 'Inves' creatures Hamuko had talked about in Zawame (the fact that there were already several Kamen Riders [called 'Armored Riders' by the city's residents] there did ease her mind a bit), and Hamuko was still rather shocked that Minato and Yukari had become parents in that other universe… to twins, no less!

Regardless, now Minato and Yukari were working on one of their most important tasks - wedding plans.

"OK," Minato said as they looked through the internet. "We need to find a chapel or shrine that's free on May 10th, and a hotel that's willing to lend us a meeting room or dining room on the same day for the reception… this might be a little tricky…" he then turned to Yukari. "Though, we could simplify things a bit by simply having the reception here at the Dorm - we'd need to keep the size of the wedding rather small in that case, given that I doubt the Dorm can hold too many people at once."

Yukari turned to face her future husband and said, "Honestly, while that's a good idea, it would probably be for the best that we don't crowd the Dorm at any point… not fun to see the place fall down around us. Besides, we know that the Tatsumi Port Island Hotel is large enough for the group of guests we might expect, and they have the finances to keep the place from falling down."

"Alright," Minato replied. "Just need to make sure they have an opening on the 10th, and that part will be dealt with."

At that moment, Nayuki walked in, asking, "Anyone see my donuts?" Upon seeing Minato and Yukari at the table, she blinked, before asking, "What's up?"

"Planning out the wedding, Nayuki-san," Yukari replied. "We've already set a date - May 10th - now we just need to book a chapel or shrine for the actual ceremony, and a meeting room or two at the Tatsumi Port Island Hotel for the reception."

"Oh… right, you two are definitely serious about this wedding," Nayuki said with a sigh. "Well, you'll need food, that's for sure."

"Yeah," Yukari remarked. "We'll make sure to have plenty of Plain Sugar Donuts available for you, Nayuki-san. I'm personally planning on having Strawberry Ice Cream available in large quantities as well - ever since I awakened my Magic, Strawberry Ice Cream has become to me a bit like what Plain Sugar Donuts are to you."

"Oh? No wonder I've had to look for my Plain Sugar Donuts more, given the lack of space for them to be in with all the Ice Cream around," Nayuki said.

"Yeah," Yukari replied. "We'll definitely need to see about other foods, too… wonder if Mitsuru-senpai knows any good caterers…"

"Takeba, you called?" Mitsuru asked from across the dining room table, having sat down for just a moment before the question was popped.

"Oh, Senpai!" Yukari said, surprised at Mitsuru's presence. "Do you know any really good caterers? We're likely going to need a lot of food for the wedding reception…"

"Actually, yes, I do know of some good caterers," Mitsuru answered, nodding. "My uncle on my mother's side is one of the best there is."

"Good to hear, Senpai," Minato remarked. "You think he'd be able to cater for a Wedding Reception in the Tatsumi Port Island Hotel on May 10th?"

"He'll be in the area, yes," Mitsuru said. "However, I'll need to ask him if he'll be free at the time, for the benefit of this wedding."

"Sounds good," Yukari replied. "Okay, we have a venue for the reception and a potential caterer… now we need to book a chapel or shrine…"

"Did someone mention booking a chapel or shrine?" Junpei asked, startling the people sitting down. "I happen to know someone who's in the business of making marriages happen, and he's in charge of a church nearby, in this neck of Japan."

"Really?" Nayuki asked. "Friend of the family?"

"My mom's brother, actually," Junpei said, scratching the back of his head in partial embarrassment. "He's the one who told me about the Tower of Babel, which is how I got the reference Akihiko-senpai was making then."

"I see," Mitsuru replied. "Well, it seems like things are coming together nicely - what else do you need to figure out, Arisato, Takeba?"

"Ring sizes, primarily," Minato said. "We still don't know all the details in regards to this part… and we need to find a shop for wedding rings that can help us out."

"Well, I read in the newspapers that an antiques shop opened in Paulownia Mall yesterday, but it offers Jewelry services on the side," Junpei said. "Apparently the owner's an old hand at making rings and the like, and recently relocated from another town."

"Wait… what's the name of the owner, Junpei-san?" Nayuki asked, looking at him expectantly.

"According to the article, it's a guy named Shigeru Wajima," Junpei replied.

Mitsuru's ears perked up at this. "Kinomoto, didn't you mention a Wajima earlier?" she asked. "The man who crafted most of your Wizard Rings, right?"

Nayuki perked up at hearing those questions, before her face met the table. Upon picking her head up, she said, "It's him, alright. Only one Shigeru Wajima is able to pull off this sort of jewelry-based stunt… he sees me as a member of his family."

"Well, might be good to see him, then," Yukari replied. "I'd imagine he'd be good at helping with the ring sizing for our wedding rings, and we might get his help for more Wizard Rings, too."

"Yes, that's a good point," Nayuki said, before sighing. "How am I supposed to explain the situation to him?"

"What situation?" Akihiko asked, as he walked in.

"The man who helped craft Kinomoto's Wizard Rings is in town," Mitsuru replied. "I'm assuming the 'situation' she's thinking of explaining to him is the current situation with the Dark Hour, Shadows, Tartarus, and the local Phantoms."

"That's part of it, Senpai," Nayuki said. "However, I'm more concerned with this Nyarlathotep guy, so that's what's getting me worried about talking to Wajima. He might think of Nyarlathotep as a regular Phantom, not whatever he really is, and supply me with a Ring to use against that entity."

"Well, we'll just need to see what happens," Yukari remarked. "And more Rings wouldn't be a bad thing… I'd be up for going to see him now, if that would be alright."

"I don't see a problem with that, except that it's getting late," Mitsuru said. "We could probably do it after school tomorrow, though, to make sure that the issue of time isn't one."

"Sounds alright with me," Nayuki replied. "We'll head there as soon as school lets out tomorrow."

* * *

_**Paulownia Mall - After School, April 25, 2009**_

* * *

As it turned out, there wasn't anything to be done after school the next day, so they made their way to the mall and found the shop in question.

"I remember growing up in his previous shop after the first Black Sabbath Ritual," Nayuki remarked, as she, Mitsuru, Yukari, and Minato stood in front of the shop, the sign _Antique Shop Omokagedo_ standing proudly over the door. "Definitely a bit smaller than his old place, but given that he's in a mall now, I guess that's to be expected."

"Ah, Nayuki-chan," a man's voice called out from inside the shop, before Wajima opened the door. "How may I help you? Oh? You brought friends, right?"

"Yeah… I did," Nayuki replied. "They're also fellow students over at Gekkoukan High. I'd like you to meet Mitsuru Kirijo, Yukari Takeba, and Minato Arisato." She then smiled. "Can we come in, Wajima-jiisan?"

"Certainly," Wajima said, cheerfully letting the four in. Once they were inside, he turned to face them and asked, "How may I be of service to you today?"

"Minato-san and Yukari-san here are engaged," Nayuki replied, smiling. "When we heard you were here, we thought you might be able to help size the wedding rings." Her smile then faded. "Yukari-san could also probably use your services with the _special_ Rings you make… and there's a chance I might need new ones, as well."

Wajima nodded thoughtfully, before his mind caught up with his ears, prompting his eyes to bug out as he asked, "Are there really Phantoms in town that were missed from the Black Sabbath? And Yukari-san is a Magic User like you?"

"Not sure if they were missed, or they had a different origin, but yes, there are Phantoms here," Nayuki replied. "And they aren't the only problem, either." She sighed. "And yes, Yukari-san is also a Magic User - she goes by 'Kamen Rider Sage'."

"'Kamen Rider Sage', huh?" Wajima asked, while getting a feel for the title in his mind. "Hmm… that's a unique name for her. Now… what else is a problem compared to the Phantoms and their Ghouls?"

* * *

_**Thirty Minutes Later**_

* * *

"And that's where we stand as of now, Wajima-jiisan," Nayuki finished, summing up the past thirty minutes of explaining the entire situation - The Dark Hour, Tartarus, Shadows, SEES, the local Phantoms, Philemon, and Nyarlathotep.

"I see," Wajima said with a nod. "So, you need new Wizard Rings for the situation, I take it? Otherwise, the wedding rings will be the only rings I'll make for this trip."

"We likely will need new Wizard Rings as the situation develops, yes," Nayuki replied. "Apart from the obvious, of needing to use it on Phantoms, Magic does seem to be effective against Shadows, as well - main thing we don't know yet is if it can work on Nyarlathotep, but we'll need to get a lot stronger before we can face him, regardless."

"I see what you mean," Wajima said, before letting off a sigh. "Alright, because I don't want to be seen as playing favorites, I'll have to ask that you let me get the ring fingers measured… unless you want me to have you come back another day."

"Alright," they all said, as Minato and Yukari stepped forward first, for the wedding ring measurements.

* * *

**Xamusel: Well… after getting vastly sidetracked, things finally worked out, especially for getting this chapter uploaded. What's next on the to-do list for us? Well, on my end, more stories to write.**

**Still, for that matter, Takeshi and I will have some extra fun with this story as time goes on. After all, with Nyarly about to show up as a local resident… oops, did I just say that out loud?**

**Anyway, expect more from Takeshi and myself, especially stuff we can finish. Hopefully we can finish this and the side story series that comes with having a Xenosaga crossover (especially given that the crossover needs to be fully split up and written as three parts).**

**So… TTFN! Ta Ta For Now!**

**...why am I quoting Tigger from Winnie the Pooh? Okay, more serious farewell, Hasta Luego!**


	7. Ch 6: The Days Before A Priestess

Disclaimer: Neither Takeshi Yamato nor Xamusel own Kamen Rider Wizard or Persona 3. We only own the idea from the plot, and some of the OCs.

**Takeshi Yamato: Hello, everyone!**

**Welcome to the sixth chapter of A Wizard in Iwatodai!**

**Just like with Yukari, we don't have too many ideas in regards to Hamuko's Pre-Arms Rider Outfit - the Ichigo Arms are the same as in Kamen Rider Gaim, though**

**Now, let's see what fate has in store for the Wizard next! :D**

* * *

**A Wizard in Iwatodai**

Story by Takeshi Yamato, written by Takeshi Yamato and Xamusel

* * *

_**Gekkoukan High School, Morning, April 27th, 2009**_

* * *

"So, Minato-san, Yukari-san, how many people should we invite to the wedding?" Nayuki asked as they walked over to the school campus.

"Not too many," Yukari replied. "I'd say at least our friends in SEES, maybe some of the teachers we like, Hamuko for certain…"

"Yeah," Minato added. "Don't want to leave my imouto out."

"Mind if I invite a friend along?" Akihiko said as he jogged up.

"Who do you have in mind, senpai?" Minato asked.

"…Let's just call him a good friend for now," Akihiko replied. "I've known him for years, and I guess I'd like to have him there."

Before the invitations could be continued…

"Morning…" a gossipy student said to her friend. "Ugh, I'm so drowsy on Mondays…"

"Didn't you say the same thing last week?" her friend said, before she paused. "Is that special morning assembly today? How come we're having one? We just had one last week…"

"Remember how great Kirijo-senpai's speech was last week?" the first girl asked.

"Oh yeah, that speech was awesome!" the second girl replied. "Although, I didn't understand most of it…"

"What I heard was, the principal got jealous, so he scheduled his own speech to compete with her," the first girl said.

"Seriously!?" the second girl asked. "What's up with that? Why do we have to suffer because of his ego!?"

Sharing a look, Minato and Yukari shrugged, before continuing on their way to the main building just in time for the first bell to ring.

"How did they…?" Nayuki asked Akihiko.

"No clue," was the response.

* * *

_The magic rings, the Wizard Rings._

(A red magic circle appears over a black background. Four lights appear at the main corners of the Circle, from which appear the Flame, Water, Hurricane, and Land Style Rings.)

_They shine on both hands of the modern mage._

(The Rings float in different directions, Water, Hurricane, and Land going off the screen as Flame lands on Nayuki's left middle finger as she appears silhouetted in front of the magic circle, Driver On Ring on her right middle finger)

_As she changes despair into hope._

(A close-up image of Nayuki's head and shoulders, still silhouetted, as the helmet and upper outfit of Wizard Flame Style super-impose themselves over her form.)

**(BGM: Life is SHOW TIME [TV Version])**

_Maji ka? Maji de? Maji da! Showtime! __**(Seriously [it's magic]!? Really!? I'm serious! Show Time!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style does a few spins in various positions relative to a red magic circle on a white background, before appearing on Winger WizarDragon, which flies off the screen before WizarDragon flies back onto the screen, lobbing a fireball from its mouth before the flash resolves into the title logo.)

_Maru de tsuki to taiyou __**(It's like the shock)**_

(Nayuki is seen standing atop the Iwatodai Dorms building, overlooking the whole town, before the scene shifts to a solar eclipse, then to Wizard Flame Style spinning to face her right, and finally to Nayuki spinning to face her left.)

_Kasanaru toki no shougeki __**(When the moon and the sun collide!)**_

(Nayuki stands in the middle of a crowded street, head down, before raising it somewhat to look at a boy in a style similar to that of a jailbird, who looks up to reveal Pharos.)

_Dare datte kiseki shinjite mitai __**(Everyone wants to believe in a miracle)**_

(Pharos lifts his right hand up, the back of it facing Nayuki, and the screen shifts to show them reaching for each other's hand, before it shows them walking across the street to each other, Mitsuru appearing on Pharos' side, Minato showing up on Nayuki's side.)

_Kitto hitotsu you_ _fukaketsu no ENAJI_ _kokoro no da ne __**(The indispensable energy that people need comes from the heart)**_

(The background shatters, before Mitsuru drives up on her own motorcycle, pulling off her helmet before brandishing her rapier and Evoker. Minato then appears, a silhouetted image of Thanatos behind him. Pharos and Nayuki appear in front of a Velvet Doorway.)

_Yume to yosou ii imi de uragitte kureru mono __**(Dreams and expectations will betray you in a good way)**_

(Hamuko Arisato is shown to transform into Kamen Rider Dia splitscreen with Yukari transforming to Kamen Rider Sage, while a magic ball shows Nayuki transforming into Kamen Rider Wizard, the ball being held by Pharos.)

_3! 21! 1! Showtime!_

(The scene shows Pharos' immediate area glowing in light.)

_Magic Time!_

(Wizard Flame Style is seen in front of a building, jumping and spinning in place.)

_TRICK ja nai! __**(It's no trick!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style lands on the ground, lifting her right hand to her mask, before lowering her arm.)

_Mahou HIIRO hanpa nee ze __**(The Magic Hero is no pushover!)**_

(A red magic circle appears under her feet, with three separate magic circles, red, blue, and yellow, underneath the Red Garuda, Blue Unicorn, and Yellow Kraken PlaMonsters respectively, before Wizard Flame Style spins around and sends her familiars out.)

_Mo-to halelujah_

(Wizard Flame Style crushes a card in her hand, as Tsukuyomi appears behind her.)

_Kioku no roots moguri-konde kibou sukui-dase __**(Dig into the roots of memory and save that hope!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style leaps through a blue magic circle to her right, becoming Wizard Water Style, then leaps up through a green magic circle to become Hurricane Style, then drops down through a yellow magic circle to become Land Style.)

_Show Time!_

(Nayuki and Pharos reach for each other's hands and grab them.)

_Life is showtime! Tobikiri no __**(Life is Showtime! It's exhilerating!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style is seen falling through magic circles.)

_Unmei to RAIFU mucha shite mo __**(Even if you're reckless with fate and life!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style is riding Machine Winger down a road, as WizarDragon flies up alongside. Machine Winger and WizarDragon combine to form Winger WizarDragon, with Nayuki still riding.)

_Mo-to halelujah_

(Back with the close up on Nayuki and Pharos' hands, as Nayuki moves the Hope Ring towards Pharos' finger.)

_Kinou, kyou, ashita, mirai __**(Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, and in the future…)**_

(Nayuki, Minato, Yukari, and Mitsuru are in the Iwatodai dorm, each doing various things. Their positions switch two times, with each switch showing a new set of activities.)

_Subete no namida wo __**(…all those tears…)**_

(Nayuki is riding Machine Winger, Mitsuru riding behind her.)

_Show Time!_

(Nayuki finishes sliding the Hope Ring onto Pharos' finger, the ring beginning to light up.)

_Kouseki ni kaette yaruze __**(…I will change them into jewels!)**_

(Wizard's four main Styles come into view, Flame in the center, Water from the right, Hurricane from above, and Land from the left. The four pose identically as Water, Hurricane, and Land turn into light and merge with Flame.)

_Maji ka? Maji de? Maji da! Showtime! __**(Seriously [it's magic]!? Really!? I'm serious! Show Time!)**_

(Brief shot of Nayuki holding up her left hand with the Flame Style Ring on it, followed by Wizard Flame Style doing a brief spin and posing in front of Machine Winger, the story logo once again flaming into existence in the foreground.)

* * *

**Chapter 6: The Days Before A Priestess**

* * *

_**Gekkoukan High School Auditorium, Early Morning, April 27th, 2009**_

* * *

With the clearing of his throat, a teacher said to the assembled students, "We'll now begin this morning's assembly. First, our principal has some words he'd like to share with you. Please give him a warm welcome."

"…Thank you," the Principal said as he walked over to the podium.

Yukari, at the same time the Principal was walking over to the podium, asked, "What's the deal with the assembly?" Taking a bit to think it over, she asked Junpei, Nayuki and Minato, "…You think it's about the recent incidents?"

"Who cares?" Junpei asked. "The Principal doesn't know anything about the Shadows, anyway. I just hope this doesn't take too long…"

"I know," Yukari said. "His speeches always drag."

"You bring up a good point, Junpei-san, Yukari," Minato said. "Still, shouldn't we focus on the assembly for now?"

"Ahem," the Principal said. "Today, I'd like to tell you about my, um, vision for this school year. As you are aware, strange incidents have been reported on the news lately. It is my firm belief that none of you are involved. However, if we want to better our school, then we all need to accept responsibility for change. Dig deep down inside, and tap into your imaginations. …But don't lose touch with reality. As they say, "There's no use crying over spilt milk." This is the key to reaping all the rewards that school has to offer…"

"Wait a minute…" Yukari said. "Doesn't this remind you of Mitsuru-senpai's speech?"

"Yeah," Nayuki replied. "I guess that rumor we heard about him being jealous of the reaction to her speech was true after all…"

"Seriously… what's up with that?" Junpei asked.

* * *

_**Gekkoukan High School Class 2-F, Lunchtime, April 27th, 2009**_

* * *

Mitsuru was unsure of if what she was about to do was the right thing, but she knew it had to be done regardless. Still, it was imperative that she got this over with now that she was in the right classroom. Walking over to Minato's seat, she said, "Arisato… I'm sorry, but I need to talk with you after school. I have a special request for you."

"A special request…?" Minato asked.

"I apologize for being in a rush, but I don't feel comfortable asking anyone else," Mitsuru answered. "I'll tell you more about it after school, okay? Au revoir." With that, she walked out of the classroom.

* * *

_**Gekkoukan High School Class 2-F, Afternoon, April 27th, 2009**_

* * *

The school's Math teacher, Ms. Miyahara, was currently teaching a bit on Algebra. "…Then round up, so… The answer is X=1. Hmm? It isn't? Oh, I see, this becomes 11, so… I'm sorry, you're right. X=2. Wait… is that right? Okay, uh, your assignment is to figure this one out."

'_Jeez, Miyahara-san is worse at math than we are,_' Yukari thought.

"Anyway…" Miyahara said, getting her class's attention, "wasn't that incredible? Even with a difficult problem like this one, once you solve it, X still equals 1. Or maybe 2. What I'm getting at is, math is fun! Don't you think so?"

'_It can be, but it's just sad when the students know more than the teacher,_' Minato thought.

"Civilization owes itself to math! All right," Miyahara said. "Today is the 27th, so that works out to… your turn, Minato." Upon seeing him stand up, she asked him, "First off, do you know when numbers were invented?"

"Let's see… if the year is 2009, then it would be roughly 6,000 years ago," Minato answered.

"You got it!" Miyahara answered gleefully. "The Sumerians invented numbers 6,000 years ago. Later, Arabic numerals were invented in India, which brought us the number 0 and countless equations! Ahh… the beauty and wonder of it all! Math is MAGNIFICENT! Now… for the next question. What's 1+1?"

***CRASH!***

Minato looked up from where he had tumbled to the floor from hearing such a simple question, noticing Yukari had done the same, and said, "It's 2, Sensei."

"You're right… though, how long are you going to lay on the floor?" Miyahara asked.

"Depends… how long are you going to ask stupidly simple math questions?" Yukari asked from her position.

"Well, the fundamentals are important," the teacher replied. "It doesn't matter what you're counting. Atoms, students, if one joins another, there's 2 of them."

"That may be fundamental, sensei," Minato said. "However, what about the sort of math you'd expect from a computer program? How soon do you think you'll be able to cover that?"

"Umm…" the teacher began, uncertain.

"To clarify, Minato's talking Postgraduate level math that you wouldn't believe existed," Yukari said from her position on the floor. "In short, since Minato's the better mathematician between us, he's probably the go-to person for making sure this class is on track."

The teacher was saved from answering by the ringing of the bell.

* * *

_**Gekkoukan High School Class 2-F, After School, April 27th, 2009**_

* * *

Mitsuru walked back into the classroom, making sure to go straight to Minato's desk. "I apologize for making you wait," she said. "To make a long story short, I want you to join the Student Council."

"Why all of a sudden…?" Minato asked.

"Well, it's not like you have to participate in every activity," Mitsuru answered. "Especially since you and Takeba are going to tie the knot. Just come to the Student Council Room when you have the time."

"That's it?" Minato asked.

"Yes, that's it," Mitsuru answered. "I just want you to join. Being President is very time consuming. I'd like to have additional help available in the event of an emergency. You understand my situation… I'm asking you since you know what it's like to be a leader."

"Alright," Minato replied.

"I knew I could count on you," Mitsuru said, beaming all the while. "I've already made an appointment for you with the faculty adviser. But, you'll have to go to the Faculty Office on your own."

"Gotcha," Minato replied.

"Um, Mitsuru-senpai…" Nayuki began, "I don't think the wedding plans were meant to be revealed yet."

Blinking, Mitsuru looked around the room, discovering that she had let it slip that Minato and Yukari were getting married while there were still students in the classroom. As such, everyone else in their homeroom was now aware of the truth behind their words and actions.

"Oops…" Mitsuru said. Clearing her throat into one hand, she said, "I'm sorry I made the arrangements without your permission, but I hope you understand the position I'm in. Please go to the Faculty Office, Arisato. I'll be waiting for you in the Student Council Room."

"Alright," Minato replied as Mitsuru left the room.

"I'd better catch up with her," Nayuki said. "I'll talk to you two back at the Dorm, alright?"

"Right," Minato said.

* * *

_**Gekkoukan High School Faculty Office, After School, April 27th, 2009**_

* * *

"Oh, Minato," Ms. Toriumi said. "Can I help you?"

"About the Student Council…" Minato said, leaving the meaning out in the open.

"Oh, yes," Toriumi said. "I heard from Mitsuru. All you need to do is read this and sign here."

Minato looked the document over, and it seemed straightforward enough, so he signed it.

"Minato Arisato… alright, then," Toriumi said. "Leave the rest to me. Good luck in the Student Council."

"Thanks, sensei," Minato replied. "Also, something I should mention…"

"Yes? What is it?" Toriumi asked.

"Well, Yukari and I are… tying the knot in a couple of weeks," Minato admitted. "And, being that you're one of my favorite teachers, I was thinking of inviting you to attend."

Blinking, Toriumi stammered, "W-w-well… I-I-I guess…" After taking a bit to calm down, she said, "Yes, I'll attend."

Minato smiled. "Thanks, sensei," he said. "We'll get you a more official invitation soon."

"You're welcome, Minato," Toriumi said. "Now… you'd better scoot over to the Student Council Room."

"Right," he said. "See you tomorrow, sensei!"

* * *

_**Kirijo Dorm, Evening, April 27th, 2009**_

* * *

"…S'up, Dude?" Junpei called out as Minato walked into the Dorm.

"Hey there, Junpei-san," Minato replied.

"I heard Mitsuru-senpai asked you to join Student Council!" Junpei said. "Senpai, are you sure you wanna let this slacker in?"

"I simply asked for his assistance," Mitsuru replied. "I don't intend to burden him with too many responsibilities, especially with his wedding to Takeba coming up. Why, are you interested in helping too, Iori?"

"Oh, uhhh… I'll pass," Junpei said. "But, thanks for the offer."

"So… who's up for a Tartarus run?" Minato asked.

"I'm game," Nayuki said. "Getting the hang of going through Tartarus now… and hopefully this'll help me get my stronger Styles back."

"I'll go," Yukari said.

"Definitely wouldn't mind," Akihiko informed.

"Works for me," Junpei remarked.

"I need the training if I can catch up to you, Onii-chan," Hamuko commented.

"I guess it's unanimous," Mitsuru remarked.

"Good, because we need to get to our peak sooner than later," Minato said. "Not only because of Nyarlathotep, but because of whoever he's controlling behind the scenes."

"Agreed," Nayuki replied. "I don't know who this Phantom is, but if they're planning to pull off a planetary-scale Sabbath Ritual, we need to make sure we're at our best in order to stop them."

* * *

_**Location Unknown, Dark Hour, April 27th, 2009**_

* * *

"So… it seems that we need to step up our plans, Kronos-ou," a high-ranking Phantom said to the one that was apparently named Kronos.

"Is that right?" Kronos asked. "Does this have to do with the Mahoutsukai? Even though she's our enemy, she's only one person. There can't be any way for her to defeat us this soon, unless she had more of her kind with her."

"Unfortunately, we _have_ sensed a second Mahoutsukai," the other Phantom said. "Bastet was defeated by them near the Tower. Also with them appeared to be one of those Armored Riders from Zawame… and their powers seem as capable of hurting us as the Mahoutsukai."

"Hmm…" Kronos said. "Now, Atlas, make sure that the other Armored Riders don't interfere in this as well… we seek the end of the world, and that can't happen without the cards stacked in our favor."

"I understand, your majesty," Atlas answered.

"If I may?" a female Phantom of high rank asked. "It seems that the 'Armored Riders' in Zawame are attempting to fight the end of the world as well… and losing."

"Oh?" Kronos asked. "What makes you say that?"

"From what I've been able to tell, the Armored Riders' powers, and the beasts they fight called Inves, come from a place called Helheim Forest," the female Phantom said. "This forest seems to be in a different dimension, accessible from zipper-like portals called Cracks. And it seems that from those Cracks, Helheim Forest can actually encroach into our world - and it will eventually invade and supplant our world."

"Hah! Freya, don't tell me that you fear this supplantation!" Atlas barked out at the female Phantom of high rank.

"What, you don't?" the remaining Phantom, who was also a female, countered. "I'd be worried about what would happen in such circumstances if I were you, fellow Phantom General and Kronos-ou."

"Indeed," Kronos replied. "This 'Helheim Forest' would not only deprive us of subjects for the Green Sabbath, but if the Armored Riders, using the power from the forest, can harm us, it is likely the Inves, the creatures of the forest, can harm us, as well."

Freya turned to the other female General and said, "Thanks, Athena."

Athena waved her hand, saying, "Don't mention it. Now…" She turned her attention back to Kronos and said, "I volunteer to take a task force to Zawame to investigate a way to destroy the Helheim Forest once and fo—"

"Denied, for the time being," Kronos near-automatically answered. "We don't have enough reason to do that just yet… nor the resources."

"Alright, Kronos-ou," Athena informed. "May I at least deploy a Phantom to Zawame for reconnaissance, to determine the true threat level of Helheim Forest, as opposed to the second-hand intel Freya has obtained?"

Kronos took a bit of time to think it over, but, before he could answer…

"I'll do it," Freya volunteered. "I find myself needing to go to Zawame, anyway… I'll find a way to determine the true threat level of Helheim Forest while there."

"Very well, Freya," Kronos replied. "While you are there, in addition to determining the threat of Helheim, I also wish for you to determine the identity of the Armored Rider who came here to Iwatodai, and why, if they are fighting such a grave threat, this one Rider would come here."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Freya answered, before walking out of the chamber.

* * *

_**Tartarus, Dark Hour, April 27th, 2009**_

* * *

The group had advanced a fair distance up the tower - making it up to the 14th floor overall. Of course, this particular floor was not one of the common 'layout changes every time' floors. Instead, it was like the 5th and 10th floors, a fixed layout where there was only a small group of powerful Shadows blocking the way forward. Hamuko had taken to calling them 'Boss Floors'.

"Okay, here we go!" Hamuko said, getting the Shadow's attention.

The Shadow turned to face them, even as Mitsuru said over their communications earpieces, _"You can win… I'm certain of it."_

With that, everyone in Tartarus prepared to fight, with everyone circling the Rampage Driver. _"It seems you've attracted the Guardian's attention,"_ Mitsuru said. _"Its Arcana is The Chariot."_

Nayuki, currently in Flame Style, started off the fight with a barrage of bullets from the WizarSwordGun.

Hamuko took that opportunity to slash at the Rampage Driver—

"What the hell?! I can't slash at this Shadow?!"

—with absolutely no effect.

Yukari tried next with her WizarSwordGun, with the same result. "Guess Slashing Attacks don't work on it!" she yelled.

"Piercing Attacks work well enough," Minato replied. "Imouto, try throwing those kunai of yours! Yukari, Nayuki-san, stick with gun mode on your weapons, or go for punches or kicks!"

"Right!" Nayuki replied, as she and Yukari continued shooting at the Shadow.

Junpei suddenly got an idea, as he drew his Evoker and summoned Hermes to his aid, unleashing an Agi skill. "Damn! That one just won't die!"

Before Minato could take his turn, Akihiko summoned Polydeuce and fired off a Sonic Punch on the Rampage Driver, forcing the Shadow to fire off a Mazio on the party.

'_Now… do I, or do I not?'_ Minato thought to himself while dodging the lightning. _'Ah, what the hell? I have it now.'_ "Thanatos!" Minato roared, summoning the Greek God of Death to his aid.

Those who had not seen it before looked stunned as the massive Persona let loose with what could only be described as a nuclear explosion, only without any of the harmful fallout, detonating on the Shadow.

"Overkill much, dear?" Yukari asked Minato.

"No kill like it," Minato answered.

"Well, that takes care of that," Nayuki remarked, seeing the Shadow was completely obliterated. "Mitsuru-senpai, how's it looking from down there?"

"_Pretty well, all things considered,"_ Mitsuru answered. _"Nothing else is coming your way… though, I'm surprised that you have such a powerful non-elemen—"_

"I think it's a Nuclear skill," Nayuki said, looking at Thanatos for a bit.

"…_Right…_" Mitsuru replied. "_Anyway, I can sense you're about two floors away from the barricade I mentioned our second time here - do you want to keep going, or call it a night?_"

Everyone looked at Minato, expecting him to tell them what to do.

"Er… w-what?" Minato asked, before he started feeling tired. "Uh… want to go to bed?"

"I am feeling a bit tired," Nayuki admitted. "Might be a good idea to call it a night."

"_Roger,"_ Mitsuru said, before cutting the comm.

* * *

_**Lucky Duck Lake Cafe, After School, April 29th, 2009**_

* * *

The next couple of days went as normal as could be expected, though today Nayuki had been in for another surprise - Mitsuru had asked her out to dinner.

"So… what's the special occasion?" Nayuki asked Mitsuru.

"Nothing, really," Mitsuru replied, sheepishly. "I guess I wanted to treat you, as a thank you for all the help you've given me on the Student Council."

"Oh? Well, in that case, thank you, sempai," Nayuki said, before she noticed the waitress headed their way. "Waitress incoming."

Mitsuru nodded, turning as the waitress came up to their table.

"How may I take your orders?" the waitress asked.

"I'll have a Salmon Patty, well done, with an Avocado Sorbet for dessert," Nayuki said, getting the tone set for Mitsuru.

"I'll have a Tuna filet, rare, with a Chocolate Sundae for dessert," Mitsuru said.

"Okay, and what would you two like to drink?" the waitress asked. "We don't serve _only_ water here, in all honesty."

"I'll have an Apple Ciderette," Mitsuru said as she looked over the drink menu.

"I'll have what she's having," Nayuki said, before she read the fine print briefly. "Er… wait, on seco—"

With that, the menus were taken from them, as the waitress said, "Okay, I'll be back with your orders momentarily." With that, the woman walked off.

Mitsuru looked at Nayuki. "What were you going to say before the menus were taken away?" she asked.

"I was going to say something about being too young for alcohol, sempai," Nayuki said.

"Wait, alcohol?" Mitsuru asked. "It's likely just a variant on Apple Cider."

"Don't put your money on that bet, sempai," Nayuki said. "As for me, I'll stick with water, for now."

Silence hit them for a few minutes, before the waitress reappeared, carrying a cart of food for Mitsuru and Nayuki's table. "Here are your orders, ladies," she said, before laying out the food and drinks. "Enjoy yourselves, now." With that, she walked off again.

"It definitely looks appetizing," Mitsuru commented.

With a sigh, Nayuki said, "Okay, let's eat, but don't drink the App—"

Mitsuru took that opportunity to down her Apple Ciderette in one gulp.

"—Sempai!"

"Hmm… it seems a bit stronger than regular Apple Cider," Mitsuru remarked.

Resisting the urge to facepalm, Nayuki simply got to eating her food, all the while scowling in the direction of her glass of Apple Ciderette.

"Come on, Kinomoto, drink up," Mitsuru said as she picked up the glass and brought it over to Nayuki. "It's quite good."

"Look, sem—" Nayuki started to say, before Mitsuru forced the drink down her throat.

"See?" Mitsuru asked once the glass was empty. "Tastes good, doesn't it?"

"Partially, but I was concerned for good reason," Nayuki said. "I'm the one driving, remember? If I'm drunk, I'll get pulled over or worse."

"Oh, come on, you're still thinking it's alcohol?" Mitsuru asked.

"I read the fine print, sempai," Nayuki said with a blank look. After a bit, she shook her head. "C'mon, let's just eat."

"Agreed," Mitsuru replied, as she got back to her seat. There was a few moments of silence as they ate their food. "This is very good," Mitsuru said eventually. "Thank you for agreeing to come eat with me… Nayuki."

"You're welc- um, senpai, why'd you call me by my given name?" Nayuki asked, wary of the alcohol.

"I've come to trust you a fair bit, Nayuki," Mitsuru replied. "I… I guess I feel it'd be awk-awkward to keep calling you 'Kinomoto' when I trust you so much."

"I… thank you, senpai," Nayuki said simply. Shortly after, however, she felt faint, and planted her face in the now-empty platter of Avocado Sorbet.

Mitsuru was not far behind her.

* * *

_**Location Unknown (Presumably underneath the Lucky Duck Lake Cafe), Late Night, April 30th, 2009**_

* * *

"Ugh… where am I?" Nayuki asked herself upon waking up very groggily.

"I'm not sure…" Mitsuru replied, equally groggy. "But my head is pounding… I hate to say it, but I think you were right about the alcohol."

"Well… why do I feel like I'm chained up?" Nayuki asked, attempting to reposition herself. After a bit to move with her limited mobility, she discovered something odd. "And why does my pelvis hurt like all hell?"

"Now that you mention it, I'm sore down there, too," Mitsuru replied. There was the sound of chains rattling. "And it seems I'm bound, too."

"Hehehehehehehe," a man chuckled darkly as he walked into their line of sight. "Well, well, well… it seems that the latest… 'mothers' have woken up, and right on time." Turning to face Nayuki, he said, "As far as your pelvis, you might want to crack it up a notch, for the sake of the severity of it all."

"What are you tal-" Nayuki began.

"Now, the reason for this is simple," the man said. "I was hired to make sure any girl that comes into the cafe gets some special… treatment, so to speak. Nothing personal, but the man I work for is rather notorious for spreading the gene pool about."

Mitsuru seemed to blanch on realizing they were dealing with a rapist… as his latest victims.

"Now you realize it, don't you?" the man said sadistically, even as he sported a feral grin. "It's too bad that you won't be able to tell the police anything about this, given how… removed you were made from the system."

"You bastard…" Nayuki growled.

"Nuh-uh, not what you get to call the father of your first children," the man said, smirking all the while. "In fact… I think _you_ need another _session_, miss F-cup."

Nayuki snarled, but then her ears picked up on a familiar noise, and she smirked.

"Hmm? What's got your hope up?" the man demanded of Nayuki.

"You'll see…" Nayuki replied cryptically… seconds before what looked like a small silver and blue unicorn burst through the floor and then up to Nayuki, its horn cutting through the bindings on her right arm.

"What?!" the man roared, before attempting to draw a gun on the small unicorn… which failed, as the PlaMonster skewered his hand where the gun was being holstered.

"_**EXTEND, PLEASE!**_" came the call from Nayuki's belt as she slipped the Extend Ring on her hand and ran it over the Hand Author, before a magic circle appeared and she thrust her hand into it. On the other side of the circle, the arm extended tremendously, wrapping around the rapist before flinging him head-first into a wall, _hard_.

"I don't sympathize with rapists, but… was that all necessary, Nayuki?" Mitsuru asked.

"I'm dealing with an alcohol-induced hangover, and he violated _both of us_, Mitsuru," Nayuki replied as the PlaMonster freed her other hand. "I have the right to be vindictive."

"…good point," Mitsuru answered. She scanned the room with her eyes, before she asked, "Um, where'd our clothes go?"

Nayuki looked down and realized that yes, aside from her Driver and Rings, she was completely naked. "Not sure," she said, as she switched the Extend Ring for her Garuda Ring. "_**GARUDA, PLEASE!**_" the Driver intoned as the Red Garuda was summoned, and she placed the Ring into its slot before grabbing another Ring, with a Yellow Stone as the core in the shape of a Kraken. "_**KRAKEN, PLEASE!**_" the Driver called out as the Yellow Kraken PlaMonster was summoned. "Kraken, Unicorn, go find our clothes, alright?" Nayuki told them. "Garuda, find us a path out of here." The PlaMonsters all nodded, before scattering to do their tasks.

Shortly afterwards, their clothes came to them, and they got dressed… without their underwear, as those were torn to shreds. As soon as their clothes were put on…

"I think Garuda found the way out," Mitsuru said, pointing at the Familiar returning.

"Good to hear," Nayuki replied. "Glad that my Driver doesn't really come on or off, just appears when I need my magic. Anyway, let's get out of here."

* * *

_**Gekkoukan High School, After School, May 1st, 2009**_

* * *

"Hey, anyone know where Nayuki-san went?" Minato asked out loud, getting his classmates' attention.

"No clue," Yukari replied.

"Hey, speaking of people going missing," Junpei said, "I heard Mitsuru-senpai went missing as well. Where do you think she went?"

"Last I remember was them leaving school together on the 29th," Yukari said. "I haven't seen Nayuki-san or Mitsuru-senpai since."

"Hey… where did they leave to, by any chance?" Minato asked.

"I don't remember," Yukari replied. "Should I summon my PlaMonster to look for them?"

Before Minato could say anything either way, the door to the classroom opened up, revealing a young man wearing a burgundy trenchcoat and dark gray beanie, with steel gray hair and eyes. "I hear you know Mitsuru," the young man said.

"Y-yeah, we do," Minato said after a moment. "Do you know where she is?"

"Headed back to the dorm," the young man answered. "She didn't look so good, and neither did her friend… wouldn't let me near them."

Before Minato, Yukari, or Junpei could respond…

"Well, fancy seeing you here, Aragaki," Ms. Toriumi said as she walked up.

"Grk!" Aragaki let out, spinning to face Ms. Toriumi. "I'm not here because I want to, ma'am."

"Regardless, it's good to see you still alive," the teacher replied. "It's only Mitsuru-san's word that keeps you on the roster, given that you haven't been coming to school for a good couple of years now."

"For goo—"

"Senpai, don't," Minato said, getting Aragaki's attention. "You need to explain your situation as soon as possible, but only with people that can help, and are in the loop. Don't want you to get in trouble, do we?"

Aragaki looked at Minato. "Hmph," he muttered.

"If you decide to come back to school," Ms. Toriumi said, "I'll make sure you have your classwork handled for what you've missed."

Aragaki just grunted.

"Um, onii-chan, what's going… on…?" Hamuko asked from the door. Upon seeing Aragaki, she asked, "Who's he?"

"A friend of Mitsuru-senpai's, apparently," Minato replied.

"Tch, let's get going," Aragaki said, leading the group over to the dorm.

* * *

_**Kirijo Dorm, Evening, May 2nd, 2009**_

* * *

Although there had been a bit of shock upon learning what Nayuki and Mitsuru had gone through, things returned to some sense of normalcy at the Dorm. There were some changes - Nayuki and Mitsuru were seen together more often than not, they were on a first-name basis now, and they didn't allow anyone male into their personal space anymore - but it was still fairly close to normal.

"Well, this takes the cake," Akihiko said. "Shinji, you really need to help ensure they get therapy, like we all need to."

Shinjiro Aragaki grunted. That was another change - he'd stayed at the Dorm the last night, and was helping keep an eye on Nayuki and Mitsuru. Though Hamuko wasn't making it easy for him - she wasn't quite fangirl level, but Minato could certainly tell she had a crush on him.

"Anyone up for a Tartarus run?" Minato asked, not expecting any takers.

"Not really," Yukari replied. "I think we're too worried about Nayuki-san and Mitsuru-senpai - we'd be distracted in Tartarus."

"Yeah, sorry," Akihiko said. "We're all worried about what could happen next…"

"Well… alright," Minato said. "I guess now will be the time for us to do our homework, right?"

"Yeah," Yukari replied. "I'll probably still be a bit distracted… but it needs to get done."

"Good thinking," Hamuko said, getting her homework out from her bag.

"I'll go back to the room and study there," Minato said.

* * *

_**Dark Hour (Later that night)**_

* * *

"Hi, how are you?" the young boy's voice asked from inside Minato and Yukari's shared room.

"Doing alright, Pharos," Minato replied, he and Yukari both looking at the boy. "Two of our friends recently went through a… traumatic experience, so we're trying to help them as best we can."

"I hope that ends well, for their sake, at least," the now-identified Pharos said. "To be honest, they'll need to be up and at 'em, so to speak, for the ordeal that you'll have to go through with them next week."

"Ordeal?" Yukari asked. "What do you mean?"

"The sort of ordeal that involves the fragments of Erebus that were scattered in the area," Pharos answered. "Not to worry, you'll be able to defeat Erebus… that much was guaranteed already."

Minato nodded. "Facing one of those big things again," he said. "Like the one back in April, when I first awakened to my Persona."

"Correct," Pharos said. "Now, please promise me that you'll name a child you'll have in your current bodies Ryoji… it feels right for a son."

"We promise, Pharos," Yukari replied. "Ryoji Arisato… has a nice ring to it."

"Thank you… otou-san, okaa-san," Pharos said, before fading into nothing.

* * *

**Xamusel: Okay, this took longer than needed because of other projects… for that, we apologize.**

**Now, it was my idea for the rape bit, which would've been so explicit it wasn't even funny (so, fortunately, we didn't include the details of it). It was also my idea for Shinjiro to return this early… don't worry, the dangers will up themselves to compensate, guys.**

**Now… I think that about says it. As always, please, read and review this and any other stories related to this one.**

**Hasta Luego!**


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